tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51662020685984551782024-03-05T13:32:15.792-07:00the little gunnell family a family lifestyle blogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.comBlogger399125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-80675558547162788482018-10-20T00:02:00.000-06:002018-10-20T00:11:05.568-06:00The Birth Story of Baby FourWell, our fourth little Gunnell (and third little girl) has arrived! I am snuggling her as I type this.<br />
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Pardon the cheesiness, but having her in our home, and especially in my arms the past five days has been actual perfect bliss. It seems like by the fourth time around, I've truly learned to appreciate and just <i>savor</i> this much too brief newborn stage. Granted, I've always love love loved newborns. It's one of the most enjoyable stages for me, but then I've been pretty fortunate to get children who love to nurse and sleep and we haven't had major challenges like colic.<br />
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But to get to the details:<br />
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On Sunday, October 14, 2018, we welcomed Tessa Joelle Gunnell at 8:56pm. </div>
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She was 7 lbs, 14 oz and 20"</div>
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She is calm and easygoing and perfect.</div>
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Like all the others, she came via induction, and like Declan and Tayah, she was born at 39 weeks (Tenley was 41 weeks). She was my second smallest baby (the others were 8 lbs 3 oz, 8 lbs 6 oz, and 7 lbs 8 oz) which was actually very surprising to me because I was measuring large for several weeks and I hit my maximum weight of 136 a week or so ago. But I'll talk about why that might have been in a minute. </div>
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I have never been induced on a Sunday before, so unlike all my other inductions, I did not go and get my traditional bagel from Einstein Bagels for breakfast beforehand. I just had a lame bowl of Frosted Flakes and a chocolate Breakfast Essential. But I was too excited to get to the hospital to care too much. I already had my robes and loose clothing and baby outfit stuffed into a bag, so I just needed to grab my hygiene/makeup bag, glasses, and phone charger and then Dalin and I headed out, my mom staying back with the kids. The hospital is only like four minutes away, so we arrived just before 9am and went inside to check in. </div>
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I was extremely excited, feeling like I was checking into a hotel for myself for a few days. After the initial registration, we were led through the doors back past all the other rooms I had delivered in (111, 112, 116) to room 117 at the end of the hall. The room was big and we immediately liked it. I changed into my hospital gown and sat on the bed. My first nurse, Ally, got me settled and started hooking me up to everything. She put the heartbeat and contraction monitors on my stomach, bracelets on my wrist, and an IV in my wrist. Thankfully, she placed the dreaded IV the first time (with one induction, they had to poke me several times in both wrists before they were successful) and even though it pinched, I eventually got used to the sensation.</div>
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Because I had tested positive for strep B for the first time out of all my pregnancies, I was started on antibiotics for a half hour before being started on pitocin. It was about 10:30 when Ally began the pitocin. As usual, nothing happened for the first several hours. Dalin actually left for a while (he was supposed to teach nursery but was able to get it covered so he could return to the hospital) and I turned the TV on (though I couldn't focus on anything) and sat working on a painting.<br />
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Around 1:30pm, Mike came in and gave me the epidural. He did a great job. It wasn't as painless as Tayah's (which was virtually painless and totally perfect) but it wasn't bad at all. My left foot went numb almost immediately. Then my left leg became completely numb and my right leg had trouble matching the numbness. But until I started feeling pressure with the contractions (which wasn't until my water was broken) it wasn't an issue. My blood pressure did drop a little dramatically after the epidural which made me feel lightheaded and exhausted and weak. So much so, that I was given three doses of ephedrine at various times. I tried to rest for about an hour without much luck. My sisters in law came in eventually to keep me entertained. Jensen quizzed us with trivia questions on her phone.</div>
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After waiting for a couple of hours, with the inflated "peanut" ball between my legs to attempt to progress things along, Ally got Dr. Pace to come in around 5 to break my water. As he slowly let the water leak out, he told me there was a lot of water in there which was probably the reason I was measuring big the last few weeks. It made me reconsider my guess for the baby's weight (which had previously been 8 lbs 4 oz). I gave Dr. Pace a watercolor portrait of his family in front of the Provo City Center Temple to take with him as he headed back home for a few hours. He really seemed to love it.</div>
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The peanut ball went back between my legs and finally some progress began to happen. The catheter in my back from the epidural was pinching a bit and bugging me, so I kept having to change positions on the bed. In the process, my left leg was 100% numb and while I could move it a little, I couldn't lift it even an inch. In contrast, my right leg could be moved and lifted and as the contractions grew stronger, I started to feel a hard pinching sensation in an uncomfortable place. With a little added epidural, and laying on my right side, we were able to even out the numbness, which I was very grateful for when it came time to push. Unfortunately, the epidural did nothing to reduce the pain of baby girl pushing up against my ribs hard. She was so tightly pressed against the right side of my ribs that there was a visible bulge where her bum/back were sticking up. Shaina felt it and then gently pushed her down away from my ribs, which relieved the pain. But then the little stinker would pop right back up where she was. She did this several times and I teared up from the discomfort. </div>
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Around 7:45, my new nurse, Emily, told me I was at a 7. At about 8, I was at an 8. Then at 8:20, I was at a 9+ and I urged Emily to get Dr. Pace there right away because the pressure was increasing. Suddenly, the room filled with additional nurses and hospital staff with special equipment for after the delivery. Bright lights suddenly shone in my face and machines were warmed up, ready for baby. At that point, my mom, JeNeale, Shaina, and Dalin remained in the room. They all found places around me, ready to help. </div>
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At 8:36pm, Dr. Pace arrived (with his teenage daughter in tow as I had said she could come watch the delivery) and I immediately began pushing during contractions. Dalin came to my right side to hold my hand and encourage me. I had told him beforehand that I don't want him to feel sick and he didn't have to stay there or even come up until the end, but in the moment, he stayed and did amazing. I didn't even really realize how well he was doing until the end when it occurred to me that he was present and encouraging me and helpful and didn't seem to be feeling lightheaded at all. </div>
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As always, pushing was hard. Everyone kept telling me how well I was doing, though I wasn't entirely sure how they could tell. If her head wasn't visible or out, how could they know? Thankfully, throughout the pushing, baby girl's heart rate remained calm and consistent (a miracle to me). I could hear the faint heartbeat from the computer in the background, which was a comfort to me. </div>
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Still, the pressure from the contractions was painful. Thank goodness for the epidural--I can't imagine having had to push through any additional pain. I pushed through probably about ten sets of contractions (two or three breaths each time). FINALLY, at 8:56pm, she was delivered and placed on me. The relief of physical pressure (and emotional and mental relief) was immense. I cried in relief and gratitude repeating over and over aloud, "I'm so happy she's out!" and "I can't believe she's here!" It was the best feeling. She was very purple and cheesy (the vernix caseosa--yes I Googled it)--more so than any of my other babies. They wiped her off, Dalin went to cut the cord, and then they took her to check her lungs.</div>
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She was completely perfect. They gave her back to me in a short while and after delivering the placenta and getting sewn up for the tiniest of tears, (and chewing up four pills that tasted like chalk to reduce the bleeding) the room emptied almost as quickly as it had filled.<br />
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We spent the next hour with family. I tried to eat a ham sandwich but the shakes and teeth chattering after delivery were so intense for about forty minutes that I could hardly speak, let alone eat. I suddenly got very cold and was covered in several blankets. Meanwhile, everyone took turns holding baby girl. Tenley, Declan, and Tayah were brought in to meet her. Tenley and Declan could not be more excited. But it was very late by then and Declan had a complete meltdown because he had wanted to hold the baby "yirst." I felt so sad for him, but happy that he was already so in love with his sister. Tenley could not have had more adoration on her face as she held her new sister. Poor Tayah was apprehensive and completely thrown off by the situation. She didn't want anyone but Grandma, Papa, or Nana. I tried to remember that she would come around in a little while (and don't worry, she did as soon as baby came home).</div>
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When everyone finally offered their congratulations and left the room, Dalin and I laid back in our beds--me in mine, still hooked up to the IV and epidural (though it was no longer on), and him on the couch which converted to a futon--and we basked in the happy glow of our new baby girl and tested out our favorite names on her, feeling best about Tessa Joelle. Fun fact: while on our long journey of searching for a baby name (ever since we learned our little sweetheart was a girl and not a boy as we had all suspected), I would google the names I liked to find out their meaning and hope it would help with the decision-making process. I discovered that in Greek, Tessa means "born fourth" and though that didn't seal the deal, it always stayed in my mind, especially because I already loved the name. Meanwhile, Declan and Tenley had loved the name Joelle from the start (as did we, but especially those two) and we liked the nicknames Jojo and Elle or Ellie. Anyway, we decided to sleep on the name to be safe and announce in the morning.<br />
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As always, it was an amazing feeling to have accomplished something so miraculous and difficult and so <i>entirely</i> worth it. I couldn't have been more proud of Dalin for staying by me. I asked him how he managed it this time and he said something along the lines of: "I'm not sure. For some reason I felt fine this time. Must be because it's the fourth baby." I felt like my happiness could not be greater.<br />
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We adore our sweet and beautiful Tessa Joelle. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-24782059593486309832018-10-03T12:01:00.000-06:002018-10-20T00:12:59.069-06:00Baby Gunnell Four!So now that I have finally posted Tayah's birth story (just 20 months late haha) I guess I should share the details of my fourth pregnancy.<br />
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I'm 37.5 weeks pregnant (due October 21st) and while this pregnancy hasn't exactly flown by, it's wonderful to be at this stage and look back on this year (which <i>has </i>flown by) since I've been pregnant for almost its entirety.<br />
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This pregnancy has been similar to my others with morning sickness.<br />
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A few noticeable differences:<br />
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<li>Cravings are different. I haven't really craved sausage or hot chocolate like I have every other time. If anything, I've experienced a little bit of pica the way I seemed to be with Declan. The smell of gasoline is so appealing to me (when usually I never really care for it) that I just want to sniff it and drink it. Haha, so weird. I jumped out to pump the gas at Costco yesterday instead of having Dalin doing it just so I could smell the fumes for a minute (yes, I know this is weird and probably not healthy but I could not resist). </li>
<li>I've been sick with colds more than other pregnancies it seems like. So maybe my immunity has been extra poor or it's just been a bad year. I had to take Tylenol for a big chunk of the first trimester and that has stressed me out, worrying about how it might affect the baby. Now, here at the end, I've been sick again with an illness that turned into a cold or viral infection, and I feel miserable. As much as I want this baby to come any time, I don't think I want her here for a few more days until this cold passes.</li>
<li>I failed my one-hour glucose test which was hugely disappointing. A normal level is about 139 and I was at 148. Gestational Diabetes is technically diagnosed if levels are above 190. So it was very tempting to skip the glucose test and I did at first (because I was in New Hampshire for 5 weeks right after getting the results). But my doctor encouraged me to take the three hour test once I returned. I had just gotten over a stomach virus and consequently fasted almost for 24 hours the day before so perhaps that contributed to me passing the test. But I was majorly relieved that I had. For the sake of remembering, my levels were as follows at each blood draw (did you know they make you do four??):</li>
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<li>After fasting: 67 / 95 (95 being the normal level)</li>
<li>After 1 hour: 145 / 180 </li>
<li>2 hours: 150 / 155</li>
<li>3 hours: 136 / 140 SO grateful I passed. </li>
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<li>A week ago I tested positive for Group B Strep for the first time. Apparently this is fairly common and the results can change within a short period of time, but I made the mistake of reading about Strep B and all the possible complications. Fortunately, I've since heard from many friends and family members with their experiences and was informed that as long as I'm on antibiotics via I/V during delivery, all should be well. </li>
<li>Another difference--at 37 weeks, I'm already at about my maximum weight of 136 lbs which I was at with Declan at 39 weeks. So I was a little discouraged that I might surpass that by the time of delivery, but I guess what's one or two pounds really? I have also measured a week or two BIG where in the past I've always measured a week behind or right on schedule. </li>
<li>As for delivery, I intended to try and wait until closer to my due date before being induced this time around, but with my higher than usual weight and measurements, the strep B test being positive, and my doctor being gone with his family just before my due date, in all likelihood I may be induced at 39 weeks as I have been in the past. It also would work out better with Dalin's schedule because he already has the few days around that time off. So October 14th may be the day! </li>
<li>Another difference that I just thought of--we do not have a name selected! With the other kids we were fairly confident of their first names beforehand (we did call Declan "William" throughout most of my pregnancy, but Declan was always a high possibility and when we saw him after birth, he became a Declan). This time we were SO certain this baby was a boy, that we hardly talked about girl names. We had a boy name (even two) and I had subconsciously been putting all baby items in Declan's closet to be stored, assuming we'd pull them out for this baby. </li>
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When we went to Fetal Fotos for the third time (since Tayah was a surprise) at about 15 weeks, I was so confident the ultrasound tech (who we'd also had with Tenley and the second visit with Declan) was going to say "boy" that I bought three blue balloons, and three pink balloons to use for photos afterward. In my mind, Dalin and Declan would each hold a blue balloon, and then Tenley and Tayah would each hold pink, and I would hold pink for me and also blue for the baby. I figured if I was wrong and it was a girl, then I would hold a pink for her, and the kids would each hold their color and we'd just not use the other two blue balloons. But how surprised I was when that ended up being the case! We took photos outside the mall with our balloons shortly afterward, and the surprise on my face was genuine.<br />
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I am THRILLED about this little girl! I really am. I just still cannot believe it! The only hard part is not getting to use the boy name I love (there's always next time ;) and never having imagined myself as a "girl mom." It has truly never really entered my mind. (I used to tell everyone I'd have six boys and one girl and they all told me I'd probably get the opposite haha). But I believe that Heavenly Father knows us and what we need. And the fact that three girls signed up to have me for a mom in this life makes me so happy. I can't wait to see her face!<br />
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As for names, we've mostly narrowed it down to about four, though I think another could easily slip in at the last minute if it seemed right. I'd share my current list here, but whenever I do, there are always so many opinions and I don't want to feel discouraged from using a name I love. Whatever we name her, that's what people will call her, so they can love it or hate it at that point. I do hope that when I see her sweet face, the name will become clear to us.<br />
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Anyway, I haven't blogged in ages and I most likely will be too busy to continue, but at least for my pregnancies, it's important that I record the memorable aspects and especially each child's birth story. I do write in my daily journal as well, but it takes a lot less time for me to type than it does to write it all out so the details of the deliveries are better preserved here.<br />
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Well, wish me luck this month! I hope this sinus cold I'm experiencing resolves before she decides to come. It feels endless. Now is the time for nesting and resting, but also keeping busy so mind is distracted. Less than two weeks left before our littlest angel arrives!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-76544632697088842102018-10-03T10:33:00.000-06:002018-10-20T00:20:24.762-06:00Birth of Baby Tayah<div style="text-align: left;">
Tayah Louise Gunnell was born at 6:36pm on February 1, 2017. She was my tiniest baby at 7lbs 8oz and 20". And in true, third baby form, she didn't get a birth post until nearly a year later. </div>
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But hey, I've been pretty crazy busy with three kids four and under. </div>
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I want to re-cap some of this past year with three kids, but first I want to record the day of Tayah's birth using memories I wrote down on Instagram and in my journals.<br />
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As with the two kids before, I opted to be induced with Tayah. At the time, we did not know her sex. We had chosen to keep the sex a surprise, mostly because we already had a boy and girl and clothing for each. Like Declan, I was induced at 39 weeks. Declan was my largest at 8lbs 6oz at 39 weeks so I thought it would be best to be prepared for another large baby. Lo and behold, she was little and sweet.<br />
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I went in to the hospital and started on pitocin around 8am. The nurse put my I/V in and we began to wait. Dalin took the kids to his sister Cassie's house for the day. I tried to watch TV, tried to rest, and tried to calm my nerves which I had not expected to be so high with my third baby. I guess the fear stemmed from my lack of faith that everything would be alright as it was with my first two. I felt like something was much more likely to go wrong this time since I'd had two healthy births beforehand. I texted friends and family with updates to keep myself distracted.<br />
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I got an epidural in the afternoon before Dr. Pace (the same doctor who delivered my first two) came to break my water. I was surprised to find that the epidural was virtually pain-free this time around. I could not believe it. I kept waiting for the sting and heat to come but it never did. And then the anesthesiologist announced he was done. I was elated.<br />
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Dr. Pace came and broke my water. Things finally started to progress in the next couple of hours. Like with Tenley, I could feel the pressure of the contractions when they started to come though not nearly as bad as they'd been with hers. But I jumped from being dilated at a 7 to a 10 in a matter of minutes. Thankfully I had texted my photographer friend Emily, and my friend Sarah in time. It was about 6 o'clock when I began pushing. Sarah came in just in time and helped with moral support.<br />
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As with the other two births, Dalin did not last long by my side. He tried, but due to his increasing pallor, was encouraged by the hospital staff to lay down. He gets really anxious seeing me in that position. I pushed as hard as I could with every contraction. Around 6:30pm, I was feeling incredibly discouraged. Why was this so hard??? I'd already had two babies. And Declan had crowned in about fifteen minutes of pushing. Dr. Pace sensed my frustration and informed me that this length of time was normal.<br />
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Suddenly, the baby crowned. With one more push, she slipped out. "What is it??" I gasped. "It's a girl!" chimed the nurses as Dr. Pace flipped her over to check. Then she was placed on my chest and I was sobbing. I couldn't believe it. We'd been right all along. The four of us had all predicted she was a girl. And I was so joyous to meet my little Tayah.<br />
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I LOVE birth days. And the surprise made it even more special. If our next baby is a boy and we have a fifth, we'll do a surprise again for sure for another tie breaker.<br />
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I am so thankful for the ability to bare children in this life and mother these perfect beings.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-65723798275981870262016-10-12T11:10:00.000-06:002016-10-12T11:10:07.404-06:00Fall Tidbits and Thoughts on Baby Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Hi guys!<br />
<br />
So I guess you could say I'm that psycho lady who is already excited about Christmas this year (and every other holiday), but how can I not be when Christmas means I'll be only a month or so shy of baby three's arrival??<br />
<br />
I'm SO excited for this little one to be here with us. Am I nervous? A little, but only because I frequently hear that the transition to three is the hardest. My transition from one to two <i>toddlers</i> (the baby part wasn't bad at all) was pretty hard at first so we shall just have to see with this freshest baby. I think it will depend mostly on this one's personality.<br />
<br />
If I were wagering a guess, I'd say that this one will likely be an enthusiastic little follower of big brother and sister because he or she already seems to know and grow excited by their voices (which is amazing to me). This morning, the toddlers came in the bedroom and were chatting together about milk and playing and looking for our owl chalkboard for them to draw on, and the baby was suddenly wide awake and kicking eagerly. The children felt the baby move for the first very obvious time and gave kisses and raspberries and lots of greetings of "hi baby!" and then he or she didn't stop kicking until I left the bed.<br />
<br />
I love thinking about what this little one will be like and imagining the relationship he or she will have with the older children. This sweet little one is destined to be a middle child (maybe <i>the </i>middle child if we stop at five) so I feel a particular need to protect this little one and let it soak up his or her position as "the baby" for as long as I can. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, I think Declan is already sensing the loss of his role as baby. But I think mostly he is embracing it. I think he knows he was destined to become the eldest brother. His tenderness toward those who are sad or hurt will help him serve as a comforter to his little siblings as he already is for me.<br />
<br />
Well, I'm 23 weeks pregnant right now and there isn't much to tell. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I think the glucose test is coming soon (insert barfing emoji). I can't believe though that in a matter of about a month I'll be in the third trimester! (For the record, I tend to think of 28 weeks as the start of the third, since it seems that most people can't agree between 26 and 28 weeks).<br />
<br />
It's as they say, the days are long but the years (and months) are short! We're halfway through October and it was September a minute ago.<br />
<br />
As for our fall plans, they consist of:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A family road trip to Boise next week to visit Dalin's parents (we haven't been their way since last Thanksgiving so we're a little overdue)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More pumpkin patch visits with cousins and friends</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Making cookie-cutter sugar cookies with Tenley so she can paint them</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Going to swim at the Rec Center a few mornings (maybe once or twice a week)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Baking yummy pumpkin seeds (after we carve our giant pumpkin that is)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Watch more Halloween and fall movies (try and save the Christmas movies for Thanksgiving and after!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Take a family hike down the river</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Find a Halloween activity to attend (probably at BYU)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Figure out costumes for the children first!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Find a place to make copies of my watercolors</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Paint at least twice before the month's end</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Find ways to purge things or organize better so the house doesn't end up a disaster each day</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Drive through a canyon (Provo canyon, Nebo Loop, Hobble Creek) to view the fall colors </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Find an opportunity for the kids to splash in their new rain boots</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Teach Tenley to write five more letters (she writes O, T, A, and sometimes E)</span></li>
</ul>
Oh fall, you are so grand! I am so happy to be wearing maternity jeans (well, jeans in general) and sweaters and long-sleeve shirts again. Time to keep our hot chocolate maker on the counter and stock up on new flavors.<br />
<br />
Happy October!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-60427025319483327792016-09-22T00:57:00.003-06:002016-09-22T00:57:41.653-06:0020 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #3!It's been a while! But let's not talk about that. Instead...<br />
<br />
I'm pregnant!!!! If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram (@littlegunnellfamily) you already know this, but it's worth saying, just in case.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I'm 20 weeks pregnant with a sweet little mystery babe who we got to look at today! It's wonderfully exciting and I love this darling little one so much, boy or girl. This wiggly babe whose every little kick reminds me of what a miracle he or she is. I'm so excited to meet this baby! And for our doctor to say those words, "It's a...?!?" I think it will make the birth experience that much more exciting. If you know anything about me I've said that giving birth gives me like a crazy adrenaline rush so maybe this is my tiny way of trying to increase that.<br />
<br />
That still doesn't stop me from guessing though. Oh no. At the start I said girl and Dalin said boy. Then I wasn't sure for a while. Now, I'm still leaning toward a girl only because of the subtle differences in my past two pregnancies. I thought they were pretty much the same the last two times (and they weren't all that different) but there have been a few things I've noticed.<br />
<br />
For fun, I thought I'd do a few gender prediction tests, just to mess with you. Just a little. ;)<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">The Mayan Predictor</span></b><br />
<br />
Year of conception and age of conception. Both even or odd = girl. One odd, one even = boy.<br />
<br />
2016 and age 24. Girl.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Heart Rate</span></b><br />
<br />
Typically only useful before 20 weeks, a heart rate above 140 indicates girl, heart rate below 140 indicates boy.<br />
<br />
Our baby had a heart rate of 140 (right in the middle! ahh!) at 18 weeks or so, and a heart rate of 146 at the ultrasound. This could indicate girl, but if anything, I feel like the baby's heart rate might increase during an ultrasound because of the stress of being probed...So I have to classify this one as Indeterminable (though I personally lean toward Boy here).<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ring on a String Test</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Ring hung over belly or wrist. Circular movement indicates girl. Back and forth indicates boy. (Apparently some families argue the opposite of what I've stated indicates each sex, so who really knows with this one??)<br />
<br />
I didn't tell Dalin which result meant what beforehand so he wouldn't be influenced. The ring swung slightly back and forth. Boy.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Chinese Calendar</span></b><br />
<br />
My birthday (August 9) and my due date (February 9, 2017) come out as:<br />
4th lunar month, 13th lunar day.<br />
Lunar age at time of conception: 26.<br />Girl.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Acne.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Girls are supposed to "steal their mother's beauty." This is the test that especially seemed accurate to me with Tenley. My skin was awful for much of the pregnancy (especially the first half) and my doctor even let me use a special solution to help, which it did.<br />
Whether the skin problems were from the hormones or from my diet as a result of my cravings (resulting from the hormones...) I certainly might have guessed girl. And this time around, this is the one thing in particular that points me at girl. My skin is just disastrous. So according to this test, I have to say: Girl.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Linea Negra.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
If the line stops at the belly button, it's a girl. If it goes north of your belly button, it's a boy.<br />
<br />
Mysteriously, I haven't gotten one to speak of! I had a very distinct (and crooked) line with Tenley, but it was mostly faded when Declan came around and now it is completely gone. Invisible. I guess if we're following patterns here, I could be having a boy since I did not have it (or at least it didn't darken again) with Declan. Conclusion: Indefinite, but maybe Boy.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Cravings. </span></b><br />
<br />
Girls often make you crave fruits, chocolate, and sugar (which probably is what causes all that acne we just talked about). Boys tend to make you crave salty or sour snacks.<br />
<br />
While I haven't had as many cravings this time so far (with Tenley and Declan I craved hot chocolate and sausage with both, and also grapefruit with Declan), I have definitely been craving grapefruit juice again. Fruits and sweets generally indicate girl, but I very clearly recall craving grapefruit with Declan. So another: Indefinite.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Feet. </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Warm feet indicates girl, cold indicate boy.<br /><br />I had never heard of this until now, but interestingly enough, I typically have very cold feet but my feet have been unusually warm lately. On the other hand, it's also been summer.<br />
<br />
Extremity test says: Girl.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Urine.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Bright or yellow may indicate girl. Light or clear indicates boy.<br />
<br />
Here's a bit of TMI for you. This test says girl for me for sure...up until the last couple of days when I've been pounding down our water bottles.<br />
<br />
Conclusion: Girl? Indefinite.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Glow or No Glow.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
No glow means girl, glow means boy.<br />
<br />
Um, well I'm certainly not feeling that glow at the moment. Not at all. I just look tired a lot of the time (though having two crazy toddlers contributes to that). So my lack of a glow points to: Girl.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: purple;">Carrying High or Low.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
High says girl, low says boy.<br />
<br />
I cannot decide yet. But I will say my belly felt distinctly flat in the front with Declan. And I do think it feels higher this time than it did with him. My inclination on this one is: Girl.<br />
<br />
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br />
<br />
My overall feeling with this pregnancy? The subtle signs (and I'm not talking about most of these silly tests) remind me more of my pregnancy with Tenley. But I'm perfectly excited regardless of what we have!<br />
<br />
If the baby is a girl, we pretty much have a name chosen. If the baby is a boy, we have three or four contenders still. Either way, we have baby clothes and blankets ready.<br />
<br />
Now we just need to count down the next 140 days (tops!) until this little one is finally laid in my arms!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-81588295659468432302016-03-03T18:42:00.001-07:002016-06-10T16:05:59.321-06:00Tips on Flying with Babies, Toddlers, and Young Children <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of my most popular posts I've ever written (if not <i>the</i> most popular and which I took some of the pictures from) was my <a href="http://lilgunnellfam.blogspot.com/2014/09/flying-with-one-year-old-what-you-ought.html">Flying with a one-year old</a> post. I see a lot of moms asking for travel advice with young children on social media and since I have a little experience in that area with my 2.5-year old (Tenley) and my 1-year old (Declan) I thought I'd share my best tips.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Why I Fly Southwest</b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I always fly Southwest because they have by far the best rates that I've found, plus they let you transport the most luggage (2 free checked bags plus a carry-on and a purse or backpack, PLUS car seats and strollers if necessary). Almost every flight I have made does have a layover (ranging between 40 minutes and two hours) but I generally appreciate the break to be able to stretch my legs, use the bathroom, get food, and let my children roam free for a while. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Checking for open seats</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have also had great luck with Southwest when I've called ahead a day or the morning of and asked if the flight is full. If it isn't, you may be able to bring a car seat onto the plane even if you had not purchased a ticket for your lap child. Once the child is two, you are required to purchase a seat (though they do not make you bring a car seat but I would), but it is always nice if you can have the row to yourself! (That is, unless you have a very helpful seat-mate who will hold or entertain your child for you;)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Required items to fly</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Southwest requires that you show your child's <b>birth certificate</b> when you request a boarding ticket and check your bags. If your child is under 14 days, you will need a signed doctor's note explaining that your child is in good health to fly. If you know you will be flying with your newborn, you will want to contact or visit your town clerk or record office to acquire a copy of their birth certificate right away. One time we only had a photo of the certificate on our phone which they accepted. You will also always need to show your own <b>Driver's license </b>or <b>photo ID </b>at the ticketing counter and as you enter the security line. Security will also need to see your <b>boarding pass</b>. If you have a lap child that is under two, they will create a boarding pass for him or her when you check in and present their birth certificate. Then they staple their pass to yours. You do not need to let them know about having a child under two ahead of time, just bring their certificate! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Restricted items</b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Remember not to have more than a <b>3 oz. container of liquid</b> in your carry-on bag as well as <b>NO razors, guns, or knives</b> (even little army knives--I always have to remember to move mine from my diaper bag to my checked bag beforehand). Security will confiscate these items! That said, there are quite a few exceptions for mothers. I have traveled with <b>sealed baby food jars</b> and <b>pouches</b> and never had an issue with those. I did bring a bottle of <b>pumped breastmilk</b> one time, but never again after that because that particular time it took a while for them to test the milk and it made a mess afterward. Sometimes the liquid testing has been very fast, but if you're concerned about time, I would avoid that altogether. They also have let me bring sippy cups and water bottles after testing them since I'm nursing, but to speed the security process along I would recommend purchasing or fulling your liquid containers once you've passed through security. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Getting through security </b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I always wear <b>slip on shoes </b>when I go through security because they usually need to be removed, I wear <b>no metal or jewelry</b>, and I wear my littlest child. <b>Using a baby carrier </b>makes walking through the metal detector easy--I just herd my two-year old through, they test my hands for gun powder (they have always tested my hands when I have worn one of the kids), I collect my stuff again, and we're through. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Tagging stroller and car seat</b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My priority once I reach our gate is finding a spot to get settled near the line-up area, and if I have a car seat and/or stroller, I <b>go to the nearest gate desk and get the items tagged</b>. Sometimes I have them tagged for removal during the layover if it is going to be a good chunk of time (which also means I need to get them tagged <i>again </i>sometime<i> </i>during the layover) and sometimes I just have them checked straight through to our destination. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Before boarding</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">After the tagging is done, we do last-minute boarding preparations: We change diapers, use the potty, buy gum and snacks or food, and have toys readily accessible for when they're needed as a quick distraction during the flight. We also keep boarding passes in an accessible pocket or in-hand. If my pass is not for "A" boarding, I just board before "B" boarding during the announced "family boarding" time. I let Tenley hold her own boarding pass to hand to the attendant, and then at the end of the airbridge I fold our stroller and leave our car seat to be taken below. If I want to bring the car seat on board, I find someone to help me with one of the children or carry the seat on board for me. Usually a passenger or flight attendant will offer. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Getting help when you're alone</b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Someone pretty much always offers to help me fold or carry items or one of the children, especially when I'm traveling alone. As mentioned before, I often will ask a flight attendant (or usually just accept their offer) to help hold Declan or carry our car seat to the first available row. The car seat has to be in a window seat so I get that thing buckled in first, plop one of the kids in it, and then get myself buckled and our things situated. If you look for help, you will find it. There are always nice people willing to do something for you, and if you don't see anyone, well, it's the flight attendants' job to help so just ask! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvJUlyEkDEKqe4e7nuLCtu9GfNkJNfIGcXZEbQcP5p13ACz-LHXVdoooQ-q3aVfGq-RNvulOGB1tkBhpwJCyWeGX6WOYmLutjyK3qMRTliot1Ue33D7tVwri_koGCqwjj8wqztm_bg60/s1600/IMG_3481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXvJUlyEkDEKqe4e7nuLCtu9GfNkJNfIGcXZEbQcP5p13ACz-LHXVdoooQ-q3aVfGq-RNvulOGB1tkBhpwJCyWeGX6WOYmLutjyK3qMRTliot1Ue33D7tVwri_koGCqwjj8wqztm_bg60/s1600/IMG_3481.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Flying essentials</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Since I've been flying with babies, my essentials have been the following:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">gum (or lollipops/chewy candy) for take-off and landing (for myself and my toddler). I always bring some extra because sometimes there are opportunities for you to help other moms with children out. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">fruit snacks (if nothing else, this is the most important snack for us to have)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">granola bars, pretzels, goldfish, cheerios, and/or puffs are all good options, too. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The iPad with a pre-downloaded episode (we have one Dora the Explorer episode and that's it--and we only have that because Tenley accidentally purchased it and we decided to keep it for trips) and some baby/toddler games. Tenley likes the free drawing apps, and the eflash apps English flash cards. They have taught her a <i>lot</i> of words. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">a notepad (my journal) and pen for drawing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">a few small toys (plastic horse, Rapunzel figurine, fake phone, Disney Princess magnets and magnetic case)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">a small travel size pillow (for either my head or one of the babies' heads or for my lap while I'm nursing/holding Declan. I'd be <i>miserable</i> without my little pillow. I just stick it between the straps of my backpack or bag and it really saves me so much discomfort.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">a loose or stretchy shirt (to wear) so I can nurse easily under it</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">my phone (so I can watch TV with the free wifi, text my family, and check the flight time)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">diaper and wipes. Some moms will also want to bring a pacifier, hand-sanitizer, an extra outfit and plastic baggy (we had a bad blowout with Declan at our gate one time). </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Take-off and landing</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">During take-off, I hold Tenley's hand and nurse Declan. I give Tenley teeny tiny pieces of gum to chew as we take off because I know she'll probably end up swallowing it if I give her a lot at once. As we race down the runway, I tell her "It's not scary! We've done this lots of times before!" and tell her to say, "Faster, faster! This is so fun!" I also ask her to tell me when she thinks we're in the air or when we've touched down. She always gets a little nervous as it gets loud on the runway, but then she's so excited to talk about it with me. After, we always say, "Yay! We did it! We landed! Flying is so fun!" As I feel the pressure changing in my own ears, I encourage Tenley to "chew, chew, chew" or to swallow, yawn, or open her mouth really big. You can also plug your nose and blow the air into your plugged nose. I've told her to do all these things--especially if she's commented that her ears feel weird--until she eventually says, "Mom, I can hear again!" Haha.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>During the flight</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I keep the snacks and toys coming during the flight. One time I brought pomegranate arils in a little container (and lots of wipes for clean-up of course!) and that kept Tenley really busy for a while. I sanitized the tray and she had a great time popping the little seeds into her mouth one by one. Pomegranates can be pretty messy, but it ended up being a very good snack and time filler for us. Ideally, I try to get my kids to nap, but it's not always easy. Declan will usually nurse to sleep at some point but then my arm is usually stuck under his head and I become incredibly grateful for my little travel pillow. Tenley is happy with the iPad for a good amount of time or we just chat and I point to things on the plane or out the window. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I rarely have time to do much entertaining for myself other than looking at my phone a few times or napping against Tenley's car seat (though obviously only if Declan has fallen asleep). When the drinks come by, we always get something light-colored and ask for a lid for each of us. We've had too many close calls with drinks and electronics. We pretty much get apple juice, sprite, and water as a rule. We also have been given (or asked for) extra snacks. Pretty much when you have kids, you can get away with asking for anything in my experience. The flight attendants are very accommodating. If I have to change a diaper, I usually just do it quickly across our laps (Dalin's and mine), and if I'm alone, I ask a neighbor or attendant to watch a child while I take the other to the bathroom on board. Again, hand-sanitizer comes in handy when flying! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Exiting the plane</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">While the plane is taxi-ing to our gate, I tell Tenley the plan for exiting the plane and what she needs to carry (like my small pillow) and who she needs to follow when we disembark. I usually wear Declan off the plane so my hands can be free to carry the car seat if necessary (though someone always helps) and hold Tenley's hand. My diaper bag is a backpack so I don't have to worry about carrying that. I usually have to briefly carry Tenley on my hip over the gap between the plane and the airbridge because she has a little fear of walking over spaces like that (and elevator entryways, gaps in boardwalk planks, etc.) We then usually wait for our stroller on the airbridge either during a layover or at our final destination, and I load everything on, and we proceed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Words of comfort</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Truly, <i>I've never had an awful flight</i>, even during the times I've flown alone. My kids have let out a scream or two but they have never had crying fits and they are always complimented afterward on how quiet and well-behaved they were. Apart from the people in the surrounding rows, the majority of people really can't hear your children, especially with their headphones and everything. Planes have a lot of white noise, so if you have a loud child, you most likely will only need to worry about the extra person in your row (and hopefully it's someone you know). Either way, it will all be over soon and people will forget you by tomorrow, I assure you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>My "worst" experience</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The most challenging flight I can recall was actually while I was flying alone with Tenley and 25+ weeks pregnant with Declan. I overstrained myself trying to carry everything (stroller, car seat, bags, toddler) and started cramping. Plus I was sweating bullets and out of breath from the stress of it all. I was mostly just exhausted and weak, but a flight attendant who assisted me thought I appeared very strained and dramatically told people to "stand back" (which was slightly embarrassing) and she offered me ice, water, snacks, and a cold compress before we even took off. The perks of being a near-hysterical pregnant woman I suppose. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are flying alone with a child or two, don't worry too much. It will all work out. Worst-case scenario is you miss your flight and that's unlikely if you stick to necessities. Follow some of my tips, wear a smile, maybe say a few prayers for help, and I can assure you that your flight will go smoother and you'll be blessed with lots of assistance along the way. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>*Update*</b> I can now say with certainty that my worst travel experience was during our move from Wisconsin to Utah. I flew Frontier Airlines for the first time and was alone with the babies. The flight itself was okay (though I still ABSOLUTELY prefer Southwest), but the layover in Denver was SEVEN HOURS. It was hellish. That's the only way to describe it. Especially when I was already exhausted. But I had no choice but to walk with and entertain the kids. I had our stroller but the kids were not happy to be stuck in it. There is no kids' area in that airport so we went to the third floor and I let the kids run around a little bit. Let me just save you now and insist that you do not willingly go into a seven-hour layover...at least not alone. Pay the little extra. With Frontier they were going to charge me $100/person to move our flight up three hours sooner while at the airport. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>A few packing tips with young children</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We usually make ten-day to two-week trips so I mostly have experience packing for those scenarios. On our last 15-day trip to Florida, I typically would have purchased a bag of diapers and wipes upon arrival, but I need to use up our size 3s, so I packed 3 diapers per day (+3 extra, plus the few already in my diaper bag). We returned home with some to spare. (I also don't change my son for pee until he is fairly wet). For my two-year old, I packed 16 pull-ups for 16 nights and all of her pairs of undies which she wore during the day. I decided to pack an outfit for each child for every day we were there on our last trip because I didn't want to have to do laundry unless I wanted to. All of their outfits with shoes and diapers fit in one average-size bag together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Packing strollers and car seats</b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We don't own travel cases for our car seats or strollers, and we have had a stroller return with minor damage (the foam handle was ripped). We also have had another stroller returned with removable pieces separated from the trip (but at least we got them back!). We also had a car seat temporarily lost one time (but fortunately Southwest will provide a replacement for lost items, though not damaged, however). We have taken our chances without travel cases, but if you are concerned about protecting items, I would recommend wrapping items in a blanket and taping or tying them at least. A case will only protect from aesthetic damage mostly which is why we have not gotten any. Just beware of the potential damage that may occur and take measures to protect your items if you care about them because you do not know who is handling them or where they will end up!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB569WWWPMXJU4wGWJs9Vv-9v96qdce2sCdumi17XHkNRyRs7GWc-FzTHoZtJ7ohux40LLY8YD1f8Bqy58reBbinFKUTVRbAfekYJxSI-WUdOB6LAVksOBSjuvoZOigNPN07YYbTdxx_o/s1600/IMG_2767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB569WWWPMXJU4wGWJs9Vv-9v96qdce2sCdumi17XHkNRyRs7GWc-FzTHoZtJ7ohux40LLY8YD1f8Bqy58reBbinFKUTVRbAfekYJxSI-WUdOB6LAVksOBSjuvoZOigNPN07YYbTdxx_o/s640/IMG_2767.jpg" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Old photo with my little Tenley (and hey, there's my little white and green striped pillow that I take along in the picture!)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtwDyFY3kd0SPPNt5C1FTZli-veDz83IBtTeEQZateo_dmtKANQkJVA01sZDiNgeD8PZiQ8JMQC1FiFGEQiyAEephLU4vf7lg71E4tWWOUdNTyLfiV7qR_cDF-mgvGlDD17HUQJg5wDM/s1600/IMG_3023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtwDyFY3kd0SPPNt5C1FTZli-veDz83IBtTeEQZateo_dmtKANQkJVA01sZDiNgeD8PZiQ8JMQC1FiFGEQiyAEephLU4vf7lg71E4tWWOUdNTyLfiV7qR_cDF-mgvGlDD17HUQJg5wDM/s640/IMG_3023.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">From a recent flight out of Florida. We're at the Orlando airport. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>My flying experiences</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the past three years since I have had Tenley and Declan, I have flown with one or both of them more than 20 times. Here is a record of the trips we have made over the last three years:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Tenley's 1st visit to New Hampshire/Boston/Maine</b> (age: 2 weeks)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Aug - Sept 2013 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 1: Salt Lake > Manchester (Dalin with me)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 2: Manchester > Salt Lake (Dalin with me) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Dalin & Tenley's 1st visit to Florida</b> (age: 4 months)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dec 2013 - Jan 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 3: Salt Lake > Orlando (Dalin with me)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 4: Orlando > Salt Lake (Dalin with me) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Girls' Trip to Florida </b>(age: 6 months)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Feb 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 5: Salt Lake > Orlando (alone with Tenley)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 6: Orlando > Salt Lake (Donovan, my brother, & Tenley)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Tenley's 2nd New Hampshire visit </b>(age: 1 year)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Aug 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 7: Salt Lake > Manchester (Dalin with me)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 8: Manchester > Salt Lake (Dalin with me)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Tenley's surprise NH visit for my dad's birthday </b>(age: 14 months)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Oct - Nov 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 9: Salt Lake > Manchester (alone & pregnant)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 10: Manchester > Salt Lake (alone & pregnant)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Declan's flight home from San Diego Trip </b>(age: 3 months)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 11: San Diego > Salt Lake (alone with Declan)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Declan's 1st NH visit</b><b> </b>(age: 7 months) <b>Tenley's 3rd NH visit </b>(age: 2 years)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sept - Oct 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 12: Phoenix > Boston (alone with kids)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 13: Manchester > Salt Lake (Dalin with me)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Family move to Wisconsin</b> (Tenley, age: 2) (Declan, age: 11 months)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Dec 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 14: Salt Lake > Minneapolis (alone with kids)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Family vacation to Florida</b> (Tenley, age: 2.5 years) (Declan, age: 1 year)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Feb - Mar 2016</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 15: Minneapolis > Orlando (alone with kids)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 16: Orlando > Minneapolis (Dalin with me)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Trip to Utah for Sarah's Wedding! </b>(Declan, age: 15 months)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Apr 2016</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 17: Minneapolis > Salt Lake</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Flight 18: Salt Lake > Minneapolis</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Family Move Back to Utah </b>(Tenley, age: 2.75 years) (Declan, age: 16 months)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">May 2016</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Flight 19: Minneapolis > Salt Lake</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Family Trip to NH </b>(Tenley, age: 3 years) (Declan, age: 18 months)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Jul-Aug 2016 </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Flight 20: Salt Lake > Manchester</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Flight 21: Manchester > Salt Lake</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you have any questions or additional advice on flying with little ones, I'd love to hear it and steal some tips for myself! One toy I think would be really great for trips is one of those etch-a-sketch pads or some other magnetic drawing pad since they're virtually mess-free and have no pieces to lose. We have yet to get one of those. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4on-EPbwKuYOqkRHLWSguzHgBWlTQn3qD60A6xGzCLg6SsIbUz8sWQfnHSQrXZHl3ZLapo1Aax9FzpRrbV_bGYKYmlaqSStBXSm5YfH_PXeNl3w0Ux2HCinRbUzqGB-wUo8Pvlf9Xy-c/s1600/IMG_2775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4on-EPbwKuYOqkRHLWSguzHgBWlTQn3qD60A6xGzCLg6SsIbUz8sWQfnHSQrXZHl3ZLapo1Aax9FzpRrbV_bGYKYmlaqSStBXSm5YfH_PXeNl3w0Ux2HCinRbUzqGB-wUo8Pvlf9Xy-c/s1600/IMG_2775.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy flying, lovely friends! You will do wonderfully, I am confident of that! </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR9HB5AfRiSRgoNK6AV0RbDke3jmZ1XvTyZO3pXx9pat2KbF1vfgkiWztNMstRyx61gp4STS6RXkxsnM72L_RahbICZ_QY53r0Hqnr9SgXV-iwulCrqwy9zQaZk2ah69kiyP2-cbjfco/s1600/Olivia+signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR9HB5AfRiSRgoNK6AV0RbDke3jmZ1XvTyZO3pXx9pat2KbF1vfgkiWztNMstRyx61gp4STS6RXkxsnM72L_RahbICZ_QY53r0Hqnr9SgXV-iwulCrqwy9zQaZk2ah69kiyP2-cbjfco/s1600/Olivia+signature.png" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-39782921126122839882016-02-10T18:20:00.002-07:002016-02-10T18:20:30.615-07:00Declan's First Birthday<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9X_Ta0EedfuhFp0hULg6aIFlnZLU2NCncP3GIdV38hQzcOXZuX1MKc6k3BpZEFtfziCx6YGV8PtUBiTgjXao_-u7O3ST7j50d9YKk-ljsfYpOMJqlIMEcdXebvKAL0k3v8QFcz_LnxOo/s640/blogger-image-1637806201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9X_Ta0EedfuhFp0hULg6aIFlnZLU2NCncP3GIdV38hQzcOXZuX1MKc6k3BpZEFtfziCx6YGV8PtUBiTgjXao_-u7O3ST7j50d9YKk-ljsfYpOMJqlIMEcdXebvKAL0k3v8QFcz_LnxOo/s1600/blogger-image-1637806201.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1, 2, 3, <br />4, 6, 7, <br />8, 9, 12 months</td></tr>
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Declan turned one two Saturdays ago on January 30. I still can't believe it. He's been a perfect light and joy in our lives and I can't imagine ever living without him.</div>
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The morning of his first birthday, Declan woke up and played with balloons with Tenley. </div>
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Then we drove up to the Lake Superior Zoo in Duluth, Minnesota. </div>
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The kids had an awesome time</div>
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monkeying around...</div>
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staring in awe...</div>
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looking cute...</div>
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getting a bit tired...</div>
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and modeling (/watching sister in envy on the swing).</div>
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We had a great time despite it being winter (it was a nice day) and other than Tenley almost freezing her toes off when her mocs got soaked, we all were happy with the day.</div>
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Then we headed home for a little birthday party with two couples in our new branch at church. Declan demolished his slice of ice cream caking (we wanted to do a smash cake but time got away from us with our outing and I couldn't make one in time). </div>
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Declan loved the cake but was a little distracted</div>
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and all but refused to smile at the camera. He must have been enjoying the sugary goodness. </div>
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Now Declan is just busy looking cute. We went to a pediatrician in town the other day and he got his vaccines and first flu shot and is doing great. He weighs only 20lbs and is just under the 50th percentile but the doctor mentioned with how active he is, it shouldn't be a problem. </div>
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Declan is running around, climbing in scary places, getting into everything, eating like a champ, loves to snuggle his mama, loves the bath/shower, loves his dad and sister, gives kisses on command, loves to give raspberries on bellies, has at least ten teeth, says "mama" "dada" "dah" (for Tenley) "uh oh," claps, waves, signs "more" and "all done," dances to music, and brings his diapers to the trash after every diaper change. He sleeps in his room until the middle of the night, then likes to sleep on top of me (so I can't sneak away;).<br />
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He is growing and changing in personality so much lately and I can't wait to continue to get to know this little boy of ours. Happy first birthday, Declan! You are my dearest son!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-48278711482694450142016-02-09T22:09:00.002-07:002016-02-09T22:09:28.869-07:00Our Little Webster Home Tour (Living Room & Hall)Today, February 9 (my half birthday I just realized...) was finally the day that I managed to get and keep my home clean enough during daylight hours to take some photos for you guys who were asking about our sweet little house.<br />
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It's not my dream home or anything, but I love the space we have. It's not too much too clean and has just about enough room for all of our things.<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">If I could change one thing about it, I would choose not to share a wall with a neighbor. He's another counselor at Northwest Passage and isn't home a lot, but I feel bad when my kids are hollering at 4am and I'm yelling back (before I remember we share that wall). Also, my crazy kids think it's funny to knock on that wall until I snatch them away and remind Tenley we have a neighbor and we need to be respectful. It's just a little bit stressful having to worry about someone else, especially at nighttime. </span></div>
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One random fact about our duplex/house is that we technically only have four windows. One over the kitchen sink, two in our room, and one in the kids' room. We also have a large glass doorway that leads to our porch in the living room which brings in a lot of light but I just feel like four windows doesn't sound like many. Though we technically had three at Wymount so it's still an improvement ;). </div>
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One random thing I love about our little home (besides having a dishwasher and laundry units;) is the water. I'm not sure where the water comes from and I don't really care necessarily since we haven't died from it, but it tastes really, really good! It's like having a cold spring water bottle. We did not care for our Provo water at all. We bought water bottles all four years we lived there and I hated wasting the money. But the water here is so good and another bonus, it heats up and gets cold really quick, too!<br />
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Anyway, let's get on with the tour. </div>
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First, this is our view of the backyard from the living room. We have this great deck and a shed (which has only one or two things of ours in it), and though I initially didn't like the idea of having a house in our backyard, I actually do for the time being while Dalin is working 3-11pm each night and I'm home alone. It's comforting to have neighbors pretty close, especially when we have none across the street and the ones next door are rarely around. I feel better anyway. And there's a good amount of room for the two tiny kids to play in when it warms up! </div>
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The living room isn't huge, but it's a perfect amount of space for our little family. It's also much more reasonable than the ridiculous tiny rectangle of a room we had before. I love that the children have room to play, we have room to workout, and we had the perfect amount of room when we had two other couples over for Declan's birthday. Also, don't mind the blank wall over the couch. I've been working on a painting for that spot but it's not in an acceptable state at the moment. </div>
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Gotta love our Ikea rug (I do...it's my favorite) and our custom pillows from ebay. Some day I'll get a picture of that U.S. map pillow. It has a heart on Caldwell for Dalin and a heart on Gilford for me. There is a straight line from Idaho to New Hampshire and guess where that line crosses right over?? Northwest Wisconsin. Right where we live. It was meant to be. I'm painting a heart there and on Provo at some point. I drew one with a Sharpie which was an awful idea. </div>
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This is Tenley's (and Declan's) little Ikea kitchen corner. We spent $80 on that part (there's another upper part for $20 we may get one day) and I spent what should have been like $1000 worth of labor putting it together in our flipping bathroom on Christmas Eve because our children would not sleep and I was excited to get it done. My back and knees probably still haven't recovered from that little escapade though. </div>
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The view from the hall. I like how our kitchen and living room ceilings are vaulted and I like the beautiful wooden doorframe between them. I want that wood in our home someday. </div>
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The kids' area. I'm all about those books and blocks, man. If it were up to me, those are pretty much the only things my kids would own (though I'm grateful we both have great parents that spoil our kids). </div>
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I like to incorporate pieces in my home that tell a story. That's why I really love antiques. We (my mom and I) got those darling baskets on many trips to the BYU Bookstore. Also, a couple I think came from Ross or TJMaxx. The yellow clock also came from BYU. The custom burlap flag is from ebay and the rough wood frame is from Hobby Lobby. I love signs. If you can't tell. I had to restrain myself which is why there are only five on this shelf. They read, top to bottom, "Families are Forever," "Believe," "Family," "Welcome to our neck of the woods," and "Home is wherever I'm with you." On the bottom sheld, the left half of our books are Dalin's Psychology/medical books. The right half are my English Literature/mom and family books. The middle box <strike>holds</strike> hides diapers, and the basket holds wipes. Above that, we have some of our LDS books in the first basket, a basket holding only a few members of Tenley's owl collection (that's my not-so-secret nod to Harry Potter), and a basket with my collection of yet-to-be-used journals.</div>
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So that's the living room. It's square and cozy and I love the feel of it. </div>
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Now for an exceedingly brief tour of the hall:</div>
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Basically this closet holds our camping stuff, 95% of our coats (we keep our currently worn ones in a more convenient spot), most of our luggage (all but one darn suitcase), and that little bin of sports' stuff. </div>
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This guy at the end of our hall holds so much. All of our extra bedding, cozy blankets, extra towels, sewing materials, our haircutting supplies, our board games, my drill, and probably more. </div>
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This house really has some great storage. If it had just <i>one more</i> little closet, we'd be golden. But I'm not complaining.<br />
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I hope that you haven't been bored to tears. We've just been busy here living life, playing a lot, exercising a lot, eating lots of fresh veggies, celebrating the guys' birthdays, watching lots of Fixer Upper, exploring our area, and packing for Florida (me).<br />
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Life is great:)<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-8345086023329717002016-01-21T14:31:00.001-07:002016-01-21T14:33:03.173-07:00Two week Florida packing plan and list<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcd9mzaD5TAQrRYhpkcj2QYLNiJ9D5jNGy8QqpL0V95roPrjqRU84Wj_eOBsmf6GJTeDuDhsT-_JsN6D6TmC83ZMN-gjyDuA1q9BvSlSrG-RpaioiLZkKgxFowZxSh_Cs8Tg-_HRmzsA/s1600/Gunnells+in+FL2+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcd9mzaD5TAQrRYhpkcj2QYLNiJ9D5jNGy8QqpL0V95roPrjqRU84Wj_eOBsmf6GJTeDuDhsT-_JsN6D6TmC83ZMN-gjyDuA1q9BvSlSrG-RpaioiLZkKgxFowZxSh_Cs8Tg-_HRmzsA/s640/Gunnells+in+FL2+2014.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in Florida in 2013 when Tenley was 4 months old</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1yYXhjkoq9w6hVyeAwF9FPz2Nf-e8uOARrkxVmRyvzVn4yoc9TBFyFbdSK1YTDNh3Pm0F3GKJZTW8Zlf6JOPwD6bB6ZDeNrHg7RKBnwSey9GbCGnU1-3Z8JclYyETVXnnGp-hB1frkI/s1600/Gunnells+in+FL+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga1yYXhjkoq9w6hVyeAwF9FPz2Nf-e8uOARrkxVmRyvzVn4yoc9TBFyFbdSK1YTDNh3Pm0F3GKJZTW8Zlf6JOPwD6bB6ZDeNrHg7RKBnwSey9GbCGnU1-3Z8JclYyETVXnnGp-hB1frkI/s640/Gunnells+in+FL+2014.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of my cute Florida family</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1ZE3iqoLli85QrPP_aKaVD7P9Yl1xLIDlL58AYfEggkY8D1aYPDW2I8EOnp3_74Ni-DlEkcAfZRXZQrXLyKqznSo-yrtj26gd8em3BxzMtpJc-MM05-GPsSg0FKcIIisaomf-3of8D4/s1600/Gunnells+at+HPW+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1ZE3iqoLli85QrPP_aKaVD7P9Yl1xLIDlL58AYfEggkY8D1aYPDW2I8EOnp3_74Ni-DlEkcAfZRXZQrXLyKqznSo-yrtj26gd8em3BxzMtpJc-MM05-GPsSg0FKcIIisaomf-3of8D4/s640/Gunnells+at+HPW+2014.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to throw in a pic of us in Harry Potter World of course;)</td></tr>
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As you now know from the title of this post (if you did not know before), the babies and I are going to Florida for two weeks in mid-February! We can't wait! We bought the tickets for cheap back in August so it's been a long wait! I'm really bummed that Dalin most likely can't come for more than a few days toward the end of the trip, but I'll be so relieved to enjoy some much-appreciated WARM weather and get out of the house for a little while. Plus we're meeting up with my New Hampshire family so that's very exciting! I'm psyched to see my brothers and mom (my dad may not make it due to work) as well as my wonderful Florida aunts, uncles, and cousins! I love them all so much.<br />
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<i>Obviously</i> I'm also over-the-moon excited at the idea of flying <i>alone</i> with a one-year old and a two-year old...(ha ha) but really, I'm not that worried because we have flown more than a dozen times in the last two years. (<a href="http://lilgunnellfam.blogspot.com/2014/09/flying-with-one-year-old-what-you-ought.html">Here is a post</a> I wrote a long while ago about how I do it with littles if you need it!) And with just three hours of flying time from Minneapolis to Orlando (broken up with a layover), it should be a piece of cake compared to my past six+ hour flights (those are the lamest).<br />
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But packing is another matter. I don't mind packing. In fact, I enjoy packing for my husband and children. I like organizing everything in the best way and making sure no one forgets anything (mostly my husband;). But packing for myself is another matter. Honestly, I don't know why it's such a headache for me. Who actually cares what I'm wearing on vacation?! I shouldn't, but I do. And I never know the proper amount of clothing to bring. 3 bathing suits? Or 5? Like, come on, get it together, Olivia, it's not like I'm selecting a major in college.<br />
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But I pack for myself last every time, and every time I get nervous I won't have the shorts I want when I'm sitting on a beach by the Gulf, or the shoes I'll want when I'm at a theme park in Orlando. I'm a mess...that's why I usually have my best friend and master/professional packer, Megan, pack for me (but unfortunately she and I see each other so little that this is usually an impossibility...though she did pack for me when I left for college;).<br />
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So now, in late January, I'm going to be ahead of the game. I'm going to make a list, then start packing in early February for MYSELF so I can get that sorted away before doing anything else. And I'm sharing my thought-process with you.<br />
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The first thing that I think about when I'm traveling somewhere is the time of year and the weather.<br />
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In mid-February to early March last year, Orlando had highs of 83-degrees and lows of 52-degrees, but the average was about 72. So logically, I need mostly t-shirts, shorts, sandals, and swimwear. I probably need two sweatshirts at the most, and 4 pairs of leggings or jeans (since it gets "cool" in the mornings and evening and I tend to adapt fast to Florida's weather). As for the other things, I need maybe two dresses for attending church down there.<br />
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Since we are staying with family much of the time and should have access to a washer/drier, I really should not need more than ten days worth of outfits (and even that probably is unnecessary). So my list should look like this:<br />
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2 sweatshirts<br />
10 t-shirts (I doubt I can narrow it down further)<br />
6 pairs shorts/capris<br />
4 pairs leggings/jeans<br />
2 dresses<br />
4 swimsuits<br />
2 pairs socks (I never wear sneakers...I don't believe in them;)<br />
1 pair sneakers (I lied...though I really don't wear them except on...excursions...and rarely then)<br />
2 pairs sandals<br />
1 pair flip flops<br />
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2 necklaces (I <i>always </i>forget jewelry...I usually have one pair of earrings on the whole time)<br />
4 pairs earrings<br />
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Toiletries:<br />
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1 razor<br />
2 pairs contact lenses<br />
travel-size contact solution<br />
glasses<br />
eyelash curler<br />
mascara<br />
eyeliner<br />
eye shadow<br />
blush<br />
spot corrector<br />
tweezers<br />
lipstick<br />
chapstick<br />
Aveeno non-scented baby lotion (my favorite besides Melaleuca's Body Satin lotion...but it's $$$)<br />
deodorant<br />
brush (the one thing I tend to "forget" or decide not to bring for some reason)<br />
travel bottle shampoo<br />
travel bottle conditioner<br />
toothbrush<br />
travel toothpaste<br />
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Other necessities:<br />
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iPhone & charger<br />
camera & charger<br />
iPad (same charger as phone)<br />
journal & good pens<br />
wallet!! (cleaned out vacation-version)<br />
travel-size pillow (for flights)<br />
pull-ups/undies for Tenley<br />
diapers for four days (I buy a package there usually)<br />
package of wipes<br />
snacks, snacks, snacks<br />
gum or mints<br />
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car seats... }:[ (ugh, our toddler car seats are MONSTERS)<br />
double stroller (if I could wear Declan I would bring the umbrella stroller, but he's getting heavy and I am going to be riding the coasters with my family so it's best to have a stroller that fits both kids...though I'm seriously tempted to buy another umbrella stroller in Florida to use because they're just SO much more convenient!)<br />
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Is there anything I'm forgetting? I'm getting so excited! I love having something to look forward to! (Even though the thought of leaving Dalin for ten days is still making me sad). And I hate to admit it but I'm reallyyy enjoying the ache in my muscles from another day of Insanity. It's nice to feel like things are happening (and give myself hope that I might see a bit of improvement a month from now). I even made what I would consider a "healthy" smoothie today (it had yogurt in it :P) and it was insanely delicious. (I was concerned about tossing the plain Greek Yogurt in there because MAN is that stuff gross--it's like curdled milk!--but the smoothie was excellent.)<br />
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What trips do you have planned this year? I'm pretty sure we'll be flying a lot this year...probably three separate trips after Florida. Gotta fly while we can before Declan turns two and we have to start paying for four of us...Yippee.<br />
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P.S. The last time I flew was with the kids to Minneapolis airport in December when I made a rookie mistake and stuck our Kindle Fire HD in the pocket in front of me on the plane. We switched seats during our stop and I forgot about it all the way until I got to the hotel. Even more embarrassing for me, was the fact that it had no case on and wasn't labeled anywhere. Plus it was locked when turned on so there was no way for someone to figure out it was ours...basically it was like a blank device. : | So even though I put in a lost item notice on Southwest's website (and even though I knew exactly where I left it), there basically was no hope of it being found and now that it's been 30 days, I'm pretty certain it's lost forever. So I had it erased and I'm really sad it's gone because I actually used to watch movies and read on it (and Tenley used it for her alphabet games). So learn from me--LABEL your devices on the outside in some way, and don't be a dummy and leave it on the airplane! It probably would have been more likely to be found in the airport even. Sigh...I'm still a little sad.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-40441736099004165542016-01-19T22:14:00.001-07:002016-01-19T22:14:46.472-07:00Favorite clean romantic novels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here's my list of good clean romances to read. I've been really into them again lately. Many of them were read during college or even way back in high school and I may not perfectly remember how much I enjoyed them at the time, but I will do my best to provide accurate ratings. If you haven't read them and need something clean and cute to read, I'd recommend something from this list.</div>
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Quick note: I honestly like them all, so the 5-star system is kind of moot, but basically a 5-star rating means I think the book is pretty much perfection, a 4 is very, very good, and a 3 is just something to do in between finding better options.<br />
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Pride and Prejudice <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span> - Jane Austen </div>
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Sense and Sensibility <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span></div>
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Persuasion <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span></div>
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Northanger Abbey <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span></div>
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Mansfield Park <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span></div>
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Jane Eyre <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span> - Charlotte Bronte</div>
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Wuthering Heights <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span> - Emily Bronte (I love the classic romances...clearly from the first several books on this list)</div>
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Edenbrooke <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span> - Julianne Donaldson (I LOVED this book! It is easily in my top ten, maybe even top five favorite books)</div>
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Blackmoore <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★ </span>(Still very good, but I liked the first book most!)</div>
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Austenland <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span>- Shannon Holt (Very good book. I loved the movie, but the book is quite different and definitely better)</div>
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Midnight in Austenland <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★ </span>(I wanted to rate this higher, but the bar was set so high after Austenland that I felt a little let down. Also, I was very frustrated by our protagonist. In every circumstance I would hope she'd do the opposite of what she did! It was very aggravating) </div>
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Mistress of Mellyn <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span> - Victoria Holt (I read this at my teacher's recommendation in high school and loved it. I just read it again recently and enjoyed it again--especially because I forgot the secrets in it)</div>
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Twilight <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span> - Stephenie Meyer (I don't care what people say about Twilight, I think it's a cute story between two high schoolers. Maybe I'm just too easy to please. Oh well. It makes me happy)</div>
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The Host <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★ </span>(I like this even more than the Twilight series but there's only one book)</div>
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Ella Enchanted <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 15.6px;">★</span> - Gail Carson Levine (Love this twist on Cinderella. Also, the book is way different from the movie. It's really well-written)</div>
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<b>Books I want to read:</b></div>
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North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell (I loved the episodes on Netflix. I hope the book is as good or better!)</div>
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Emma - Jane Austen (I don't think I've read this fully and I should probably do so at some point.)</div>
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Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale<br />
The Goose Girl - Shannon Hale (I only read the sample and wasn't super excited by it so I moved on to something else, but I'm willing to give it another try)</div>
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Princess of the Midnight Ball - Jessica Day George<br />
Wildwood Dancing - Juliet Marillier<br />
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Truthfully, this list would have been QUITE a bit longer if my tabs with all the clean book suggestions hadn't crashed. So, I'll leave this as it is for now, but as always I LOVE suggestions!<br />
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Please comment or message them to me!!!!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-65581142068418171892015-12-30T16:11:00.000-07:002015-12-30T16:11:12.047-07:00Our (3rd) Home Tour: The Bathroom<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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I feel bad I haven't blogged for a while, but with moving from Utah to Wisconsin and Christmas (never mind having no internet for a week), things have been a bit crazy around here. Anyway, a few people have wanted to see what our new home for the next couple years is like. I absolutely love it. After living in the tiny space of Wymount, our Birch Street home feels "so spacious!" (as Tenley declared when we asked her if she liked our new home). Anyway, it may not look like much, but it's home and we love it dearly (so much so that we've already scribbled on the walls in pen...I guess we'll be painting the hallway eventually). </div>
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The front of the house is basically complete (meaning the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and even the hall closets) but our bedrooms aren't what I'd like them to be, mainly because we do not have enough furniture yet (which translates into not enough storage for our many clothes). </div>
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I started with the bathroom because it was an easy space to tackle, so here it is (sorry for the absolutely awful phone quality photos). </div>
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Basically, the unintentional theme became a very distinct ocean and garden theme, which I find very familiar and comforting. </div>
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This photo doesn't nearly show how wide the bathroom is from wall to wall. There is so much space! It's like twice the size of our Wymount bathroom at least. Maybe 2.5x.</div>
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The sink area is still a bit more cluttered right now than I'd like it, but I'm continuously sorting through our millions of decorations and old containers to dump things. That thing on the left is full of makeup for me to go through, organized by eye makeup, blush, skin creams and foundation, and lip stuff. </div>
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I love having an étagere behind the toilet. It is so helpful for storage. The Peter Rabbit bins on the middle and lower shelf contain each of our individual items that we most often use. The white towels are for guests, and the towels below are the kids. I put them there so Tenley can reach them because she's my little retriever. </div>
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Last, a sign that reads "Beach Rules" (which Dalin gave to me one year) and our basket with literature (aka The Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes comics mostly). </div>
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I am not pleased with how poor the photos look on my screen, so I'll see what I can do about that. In the meantime, enjoy that brief tour of our ever so spacious bathroom. ;)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-6586311095129525692015-12-11T16:05:00.004-07:002015-12-11T22:54:39.299-07:00A couple of things I've learned about breastfeeding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My blogger friend, Julie over at <a href="http://www.ahopefulhood.com/">A Hopeful Hood</a> mentioned that I should do a post on breastfeeding and I finally have a little time to do so. Therefore, I am sharing just a few things I've learned (though there is so much to cover!) in the last two years of nursing two babies. </div>
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To start, I'll just share my experience so far. Be warned that I say the word "breast" like a thousand times so if that makes you uncomfortable, I'm quite sorry. </div>
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With Tenley, I struggled to keep her latched as a newborn at the hospital. I later learned this was because I was so engorged when my milk came in that her tiny mouth could not latch. I resorted to using a Medala nipple shield, which was so useful and comfortable for me, I used it for four months. I was SO grateful for the shield which, in my opinion, saved my breastfeeding experience. This length of time using the shield is not typically recommended as it can supposedly affect the amount the baby is taking in, but Tenley was gaining weight and I was comfortable. When I grew tired of it, I weaned her off it within a week. I had never had any nipple soreness or redness until then. Tenley had no issues switching directly to breast, but boy, did her hard sucking hurt! And she already had a tooth or two by then. Once my nipples "toughened up" (and I used lots of lanolin), breastfeeding was great. It was easy for me, and I even stopped using a cover most of the time because I learned to feed discreetly with just my shirt or a little burp cloth. I felt comfortable and the bond with her was truly a joy. I fed her on demand mostly because it was easiest, but I now realize that was possibly the key to my "success." (I was also EXTREMELY lucky that she only woke up once or twice a night to nurse, I've now realized. She was an angel baby, I swear.) My milk began drying up when Tenley was eleven months. I had gotten pregnant again when she was nine months. I had planned to try and breastfeed through pregnancy since I'd been told it was possible, but with Tenley eating solids daily, my supply quickly diminished by eleven and a half months. I was sad at first, but happy that I'd lasted so long and looked forward to having an even better experience with my next child. </div>
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Enter Declan. Declan also had a hard time latching on my very milk-engorged breasts as a newborn. So I used the nipple shield (for about two months this time) until he could handle nursing without it. My experience nursing Declan has been about the same. At ten months, I still feed him on demand (including at nighttime, which stinks because he loves to nurse way more at night than Tenley did) which makes breastfeeding a real sacrifice. I still go out without him occasionally, but I make sure to nurse him beforehand and I can't go longer than about three hours before I need to nurse him (for both of our sakes). He's ten months! I thought (or maybe hoped) we'd be slowing down by now. That said, he is also eating fewer solids than Tenley was at this time because I've realized it's just faster to feed him milk and I know he's getting the nutrition he needs. I will also add that breastfeeding Declan is certainly less of a sacrifice for me as a second-time mom who also stays at home, but if I were still in school or working, it would be an incredible challenge. </div>
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Now onto my little tidbits of advice: </div>
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<li>We've all heard that "breast is best," whether you believe it or not, but did you know that your body is capable of making exactly the milk that your baby needs? Besides being nutrient-rich, your milk will adapt to your individual baby! I read <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/features/feature/2015/08/26/22755273/the-more-i-learn-about-breast-milk-the-more-amazed-i-am">this great article</a> about how your baby's saliva actually alters the composition of your milk! If your child is sick, the saliva also helps create antibodies to help fight the illness. Our bodies are simply incredible. </li>
<li>Once you get past the initial discomfort or pain that breastfeeding can cause (read: major soreness and dryness for some women) one of the biggest struggles I hear from other nursing moms is the complaint of not having enough milk. While a mother's milk <i>can</i> easily dry up from certain medicines, with pregnancy, and other causes, low supply is not all that common. Often around two or three months, nursing moms notice a "dip" in their supply. Usually, this has nothing to do with the baby's weight gain or number of wet diapers, but solely with how full their breasts feel. They also might be judging their supply based on the amount they are pumping, but pumping is not an accurate way to measure milk supply! Direct mouth contact with nipple is much more effective at procuring milk than most any pump. What many women do not realize is how effectively our bodies regulate our milk supply. Babies that feed on demand may seem to be feeding at random, but our bodies adjust to their unique pattern and supply milk as needed. This can result in a less "full" feeling breast, but it's actually just producing more efficiently. Babies also learn to nurse more efficiently as they get older. Some can drain a breast in five minutes and still have received all the nutrients their body needs. Other babies nurse slowly and the mother's body accommodates that. </li>
<li>Low supply can also be caused by pumping, scheduling feedings, and supplementing (among other things). I read another great article about why moms should stop scheduling their baby's feedings or worrying about how often they nurse. The average baby will nurse when he or she needs it. For some, that's every couple hours, even at a few months old. For others, they can go long stretches (like Tenley used to at night) and be perfectly okay. Expecting a newborn to feed on your schedule is not the way to keep your supply up. There is nothing wrong with trying to plan feedings to some extent, but if your "ideal" spacing of feedings is interfering with your baby's need to eat, then that <i>will </i>affect your milk supply and most likely your baby's weight gain. Which brings me to my next point. </li>
<li>Breastfeeding is a huge sacrifice. Having a baby in general is a sacrifice of course, but breastfeeding is a truly BIG sacrifice if you're determined to continue past six months. There are rules you have to follow. Feeding on demand is key (this part is purely my opinion--I haven't done research but it makes sense to me). Your baby doesn't eat for pleasure at this point. When they get older, they may enjoy nursing for comfort but your baby, especially in the beginning, should eat what he or she needs. </li>
<li>Breastfed babies tend to be longer and more slender than formula-fed babies. This is not always the case. Some moms have super amazing fatty milk and their babies have rolls to spare, but both of my babies were on the lower end for weight-gain. Tenley was in the 10th percentile or less for a while. Declan has been consistently in the 30th percentile. If your doctor is concerned about your baby's weight-gain, recognize that they are going by national averages and charts. Tenley never looked skinny. She was very proportional and even a little chubby. My doctor was never seriously worried, but he did want me to nurse her a little more often to make sure she was at least gaining some weight. Eventually she caught up (she was just on her own curve) and my doctor said she was fine as long as her weight-gain was consistent <i>for her</i>. </li>
<li>Nursing is messy. Milk squirts everywhere, it's sticky, you might wake up at 4am with your bra and t-shirt soaked, and if you've ever spilled a full bottle of pumped milk, you will know how tragic that is. You have to have nursing pads, which can be expensive if you don't get reusable ones, and it's painful to pay the price of good nursing bras. You may get a breast infection (mastitis is just awful and starts with a fever), or a clogged duct (which will make you try anything to fix it (cabbage leaves, hot showers, rubbing the spot, a compress, hand expressing milk, you'll try it all), and you're more than likely to get some redness or soreness, dryness, and possibly even cracked or dried nipples. You might begrudge your spouse a few times in the middle of the night while you're awake with the baby and he's snoring away next to you with a valid excuse as to why he can't help you out. You will probably be bitten at least once which will make you question if you'll ever breastfeed again. It's not easy, and for some people that's the hardest part of having a new baby. </li>
<li>But it can also be wonderful. Your baby will snuggle up against you and you'll be able to cuddle and smell his or her hair as long as you want. You'll spend hours (and I mean hours) staring at your baby's profile memorizing it. You'll get really good at accessing your bra quickly through many layers of clothing. At some point, you'll cherish those long but quiet nights with your little one pressed against you. You'll love when your baby's older and reaches her hand up and strokes your chest lovingly or stares into your eyes with so much love for you, their mother. That physical bond with your baby will be priceless. </li>
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I love breastfeeding quite a bit. Besides that it's free and convenient in some ways, it forges a very tender bond with your child that is hard to replace. Even though there are times when I long to have to freedom to get up at will or have my body "to myself" again, I remember how quickly this time passes. Even just looking at Tenley, I find it hard to believe that she isn't a baby anymore who needs and depends on me for everything. These trying times are fleeting and I've already found that I look back on them with longing. Whether you breastfeed or not, enjoy your time with your baby. You will see soon enough how short a time they stay little. </div>
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I hope that this helps at least one mom out there have an easier, and even enjoyable breastfeeding experience. Any questions are so welcome! I'll do my best to help you if I can (though I am absolutely positively <i>not</i> an expert)!</div>
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Good luck, Mamas. Hang in there this weekend! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please pardon my frumpiness here. I had just had a baby and was quite tired and swollen from the I/V. </td></tr>
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Clarifying note: Let me just quickly add that I know their are exceptions to everything. There are babies who wean early and women with special conditions that lead to more difficulties or lower supply. I am only sharing what I have learned from my experience and by talking to other moms who have breastfed successfully. No matter what you choose, making choices as a parent is not easy. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-77241184351968984572015-12-01T21:01:00.003-07:002015-12-02T14:04:42.330-07:00Brief Reader Q&A <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2lb3oLlcdarPeurjSy-FMsJisx46soGsgPRUXgZ5DiTfCeLwZowg1EQzg1_BJ20uvzQSLzXh9bhtzeO4PlgqzAmTd2kg1IZv1j_yOIlqKQ4dRO1xupDGHmtaYy1HEeD0ZrSZRV5xYDc/s1600/DSC02780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2lb3oLlcdarPeurjSy-FMsJisx46soGsgPRUXgZ5DiTfCeLwZowg1EQzg1_BJ20uvzQSLzXh9bhtzeO4PlgqzAmTd2kg1IZv1j_yOIlqKQ4dRO1xupDGHmtaYy1HEeD0ZrSZRV5xYDc/s640/DSC02780.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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For a simple post tonight (amidst packing, sorting, and more packing), I thought I'd answer some questions from one of my sweet readers:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #353a3d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.68px;">a.) Do you still want your February baby, since your little guy was born in January?</span><br />
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Yes, I'm a <i>little</i> disappointed I didn't get my February baby (my doctor wasn't available for an induction on the 1st or 2nd) but the good thing is that January, my once least-favorite month, is a little better now that I get to celebrate the birth of my favorite son.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #353a3d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.68px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #353a3d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.68px;">b.) Do you still think that 18 months apart is the perfect age gap? (This isn't an attempt to find out whether or not you'll be having a baby in August or September haha, it's just a question about what you now believe to be a good age gap after experiencing what it's like to have two kids). </span><br />
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Yes, I would totally do 18 months again if the stars aligned! And sadly, that will not be the case for me (though there have been quite a few pregnancy announcements lately which is so exciting and I'm so happy for my pregnant friends!) this summer. If things go according to plan (though when do they ever?), I will be shooting for spring babies from here on out. I've had a summer baby and a winter baby, and right now I think that spring is the ideal time to give birth (especially because I do not want to be in the third trimester of pregnancy in the summer ever again!). But I still love the 18 months gap. I would probably not do anything less than that though--just for my body's sake--pregnancy takes a toll on a girl.<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #353a3d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.68px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #353a3d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.68px;">c.) Have the baby names you liked changed (especially since Declan is so close to Lachlan)? Have the ones that you would name your future children changed?</span><br />
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A little. I still love the same names (including Lachlan and yes, I've thought about how similar it sounds to Declan...I have yet to decide how much that matters to me) and I'm still convincing Dalin about the names I love. I have found a new variation of a boy name I like, but for now I'm saving it because I'm still "testing it out" to make sure I love it. But, as of this moment, if our next baby was a girl, we are pretty sure we know which name we'd use. <br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #353a3d; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.68px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #353a3d; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 15.68px;">d.) Would you name future children with names starting with T or D? What's your stance on that?</span><br />
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It's very possible! I am not as opposed to using the same letter for all my children as I once was. I do like variety though and it's just a coincidence that our next top girl name also starts with a T. If anything, our "theme" is still Irish names. It's also just a coincidence that <b>Ten</b>ley and <b>Dec</b>lan both have some allusion to the number ten. It's unlikely we'd stick with that pattern, however, because I'm not sure we could find three to five (or however many) references to the number ten with names that we still love. But if you think of any which also have that hint of my Irish heritage I'm looking for, let me know!<br />
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Thanks for the questions, Lynna :) If anyone has some to add, I'll be happy to answer sometime.<br />
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Hope your week is going smoothly, everyone! I've just been sorting through clothing lately, trying to eliminate some of our things person by person so we can pack what we use, and donate the rest! We have way too much. I wish I could afford to donate clothing to those that really need it in other countries but have you looked up the costs of international packages?? It's slightly ridiculous.<br />
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Anyway, my more regular updates happen on Insta, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lilgunnellfam/">so follow me there</a> if you care about that stuff ;)<br />
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Happy times! ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR9HB5AfRiSRgoNK6AV0RbDke3jmZ1XvTyZO3pXx9pat2KbF1vfgkiWztNMstRyx61gp4STS6RXkxsnM72L_RahbICZ_QY53r0Hqnr9SgXV-iwulCrqwy9zQaZk2ah69kiyP2-cbjfco/s1600/Olivia+signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR9HB5AfRiSRgoNK6AV0RbDke3jmZ1XvTyZO3pXx9pat2KbF1vfgkiWztNMstRyx61gp4STS6RXkxsnM72L_RahbICZ_QY53r0Hqnr9SgXV-iwulCrqwy9zQaZk2ah69kiyP2-cbjfco/s1600/Olivia+signature.png" /></a></div>
P.S. The photo is pre-children at Dalin's sister's wedding. I was like 4 months pregnant with Tenley. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-58977993717707242912015-11-21T11:27:00.003-07:002015-11-21T11:44:38.090-07:00And the Verdict Is...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk8QINjcn1J8iLushVjw7vdeHAOeXJHyuU27TgI2mUDLxZgjCHPpRwXTllm8hf72xyHx4hBwyCcwcSL5OUpXoGwSBzHvERjZNtXkSPMzBOuGp6p6QHCOsssnbBG1N9gC5vBHfFVlwez4/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOk8QINjcn1J8iLushVjw7vdeHAOeXJHyuU27TgI2mUDLxZgjCHPpRwXTllm8hf72xyHx4hBwyCcwcSL5OUpXoGwSBzHvERjZNtXkSPMzBOuGp6p6QHCOsssnbBG1N9gC5vBHfFVlwez4/s640/IMG_0010.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We have decided to move to Wisconsin!<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Dalin is accepting the job at Northwest Passage. It seems like a wonderful workplace and a great opportunity for our family to have a new experience in an outdoorsy area (lots of trees, lakes, rivers, and ponds which is a yay for me!) and also save a lot of money with fewer expenses and better pay!</span></div>
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The area we are in is very small, (I thought my hometown of Gilford, NH is small with 7,000 people!) but the town Dalin will be working in (Frederic, WI) has 1,000 people and the town we'll be living in (Webster, WI) has 641 people. Well, make that 645 now;)<br />
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I'm not too worried about it--I like small towns and I pretty much Amazon Prime everything anyway. I keep thinking it will be like those Hallmark Christmas movies that I'm obsessed with where the main character finds herself in a small town and thinks she'll hate it, then she absolutely falls in love with it. Except I'm more excited than nervous. Anyway, I know it will be good. I can't promise we'll become Green Bay fans though...we'll have to see;)<br />
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We are less than two hours from everything...but almost an hour away from any name-brand stores. So that will be weird, but I'm totally up for the challenge. I mean, they have a grocery store and a surprising amount of hardware stores and Dollar Generals so...maybe I'll find some new hobbies. ;)<br />
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I was a bit alarmed when I searched where the nearest TJ Maxx was though...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlFv3XGaTB7R07cB2yqlE4mRLrEHIYIdIWTuiieZ4x5RsFYUL95diddGD-wmHcOnbz3VIYeX0hgKiV_d864m22zk4WV-0jeSqWFLMC7dlkRQ8aua8fJORS4-qPQ9Rp80aYfA-oOEiyXo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-21+at+9.44.13+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZlFv3XGaTB7R07cB2yqlE4mRLrEHIYIdIWTuiieZ4x5RsFYUL95diddGD-wmHcOnbz3VIYeX0hgKiV_d864m22zk4WV-0jeSqWFLMC7dlkRQ8aua8fJORS4-qPQ9Rp80aYfA-oOEiyXo/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-11-21+at+9.44.13+AM.png" width="640" /></a><br />
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I'm assuming there was a misunderstanding on Google's part.<br />
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Thankfully I found one, and also a Target (which is even more important) about an hour away. We'll be making a day trip each week then;)<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Random facts discovered during my hours of research of the area:</span></b><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They have a children's secondhand clothing store there, so I'm assuming there must be some children! (One of my concerns for my kids)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They also have a store called "Rocks and Things"... That should be useful;)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The average HIGH in January is 29 degrees Fahrenheit. And in December and February the high is 33 (only a degree lower than my hometown of Gilford, NH). I guess I'll have to dig up my old New England roots because that is a COLD winter (compared with Provo's balmy 40 degrees, December through February)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Webster, WI is 22 hours, 22 minutes from Caldwell, Idaho and 21 hours, 45 minutes from Gilford, New Hampshire. We couldn't be more fairly in the middle of our two hometowns if we had planned it! (Actually, I just looked it up--if we lived in Grantsburg, WI, twenty minutes away, we'd be 22 hours 1 minute from Caldwell and 22 hours exactly to Gilford. How's that for precise?;)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are also only a 22 hour, 43 minute drive to Orlando. That's do-able! (I'm really hung up by our proximity to Florida;)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are an hour and a half from Lake Superior (basically the ocean for the midwest) and four hours from the Canadian border. We are also 7 and a half hours from Winnipeg where my dad served his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are an hour and a half from Minneapolis/St. Paul. MSP will be the airport we use. The good news about that is we can fly to Idaho, Utah, New Hampshire/Boston, Arizona, California, and Florida for less than $150! It's a pretty central location:) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The housing is very cheap out there and there is a lot of land with access to lakes and ponds for sale. If we really like it there, that's what we'll be looking for! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Webster is in the center of 5 LDS wards/branches. 2 of them are 48 minutes away in Minnesota and 3 in Wisconsin are an hour away. I think it's hilarious how this random location in northern Wisconsin is turning out to be central to so many places (but not super close to any of them). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are 1 hour 40 minutes from the St. Paul LDS temple and 1 hour 53 minutes from the Mall of America. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've made approximately 892,743,918,741,908 Google searches about the area since we started applying. </span></li>
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We are really excited (we do have some nerves but probably just the normal ones for moving to a place we haven't been) and can't even wait to see our new home! Thank you so much for your prayers, friends! They have been felt and I have peace in my heart about this move.<br />
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We are ready for adventure!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-85062013103896119532015-11-17T22:34:00.003-07:002015-11-17T22:34:46.173-07:00Decisions, decisionsWe got the job. In northwest Wisconsin, right by Minnesota.<br />
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We're thrilled, and the pay is good.<br />
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We just need to decide if it's the right move for us because, as enticing as it is, we need to make the best choice for our little family. We've been praying about it so much these days. There are pros and cons to staying and going, but we will determine what is right and it will all work out:)<br />
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Please pray for us! I'm feeling scared to move! I've been nothing but excited but now it's real...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-13494444255558352082015-11-15T21:49:00.001-07:002015-11-15T22:04:26.014-07:00Questions to Ask My 24-Year Old Self<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(First off) Things I think the little Gunnell family is doing right: </span></div>
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<li>We are firm in our faith, our marriage, and our family. </li>
<li>We have plans, future goals, savings, Bachelor's degrees, and no debt! </li>
<li>We travel a few times a year and live comfortably in our little apartment. </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOI_Zy9YTo7HD8ZcGGJ3N3hQRwRuAQQcOfy0Lf-jOGpb4xbrisAMoCYYhHEtzsQPCeAme6XO3QBAurE6FUolcsdvH1HsNh_8ecDkwIhfOtiV9LPGHf3bppxAVcstocgfU34lnyqg5p-E/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZOI_Zy9YTo7HD8ZcGGJ3N3hQRwRuAQQcOfy0Lf-jOGpb4xbrisAMoCYYhHEtzsQPCeAme6XO3QBAurE6FUolcsdvH1HsNh_8ecDkwIhfOtiV9LPGHf3bppxAVcstocgfU34lnyqg5p-E/s640/IMG_0016.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnr8phZTSSF1hAK_Ks5pelxq39FWgG4BPl7Wu7L3zTkgvqGPriwMqusz6sSi0_b8mUrBZOtkABjVO1O-QWFgsc6ffbKB7wbNz5H4XclMbotWMLXinDVzB14IEQ576uUdhK7tBZFB-O08/s1600/IMG_0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnr8phZTSSF1hAK_Ks5pelxq39FWgG4BPl7Wu7L3zTkgvqGPriwMqusz6sSi0_b8mUrBZOtkABjVO1O-QWFgsc6ffbKB7wbNz5H4XclMbotWMLXinDVzB14IEQ576uUdhK7tBZFB-O08/s640/IMG_0015.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Things we could improve on (so we're in good shape when we're forty or fifty): </span></div>
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<li><b>Are we feeding our bodies properly? </b>We have <i>mostly </i>healthy eating habits, but we could probably stand to cut down on the sugary snacks and drinks. My reasons for wanting to do so are simple: in our twenties, we've been blessed with pretty amazing metabolisms so far, but when we're forty, I don't want to be feeling all those Cocoa Bean Cupcakes and sugary drinks (like my Tropical smoothies-->insert crying face emoji) that we splurge on weekly in all my flabby areas. At least we only drink soda about once every month or two which I think is reasonable. But yeah, snacks are still an issue...one that's hard to avoid when you keep snacks around for your little kids. </li>
<li><b>Are we taking care of our bodies in other ways? </b>We could definitely exercise more. Or in my case.....<span style="font-size: x-small;">at all</span>. It's just soooo hardddd to care! Sadly wearing cute exercise clothes isn't much of a motivator for me. I used to wear athletic leggings all the time and if anything, I'm more lethargic than before. Somehow, I've got to back on track with my old exercising routine in high school. Why I cared so much then? I don't know. I guess I was playing sports at the time. But I wish that I had saved all that youthful teenage energy for now because I've never been more tired than since becaming a mom (and mostly since I became a mom of two). </li>
<li><b>Are we preparing well for the future? </b>We could save more. We have a good emergency savings but it'd be nice to start saving for stuff like specific trips we want to take (read: Ireland/Scotland), a downpayment for a home, and for far into the future (like college and mission funds for the kiddos and retirement for us).</li>
<li><b>Are we removing clutter and unnecessary stuff from our life? </b>We could simplify more. I have way more clothes than I actually wear. And I have collected so many decorations (mostly packed in boxes) that we'd need a mansion to fit them all. So it'd be good to purge more (which I hate thinking about but love to do) especially with a move coming up!</li>
<li><b>Are we worrying too much? </b>(Like I've told myself a bazillion times) Stress less/worry less! I'm sure when I'm forty or fifty I'll still be reminiscing about that one Sunday when I didn't do any dishes and completely let the apartment go...or not. Bottom line, things that seem to matter now will not matter in twenty years and stressing or being uptight doesn't make those things better. Just relax and embrace the mess--or at least embrace the ones making it;-)</li>
<li><b>Have we made spiritual things a priority? </b>We need to make Family Home Evening (FHE) a priority each week. We read our scriptures and have family prayer but I'd like to start doing more lessons for our little Tenley now that she can actually understand us. </li>
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Anything else to add? I am <i>especially</i> looking at any older, wiser, and consequently more beautiful readers that I may have;-)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR9HB5AfRiSRgoNK6AV0RbDke3jmZ1XvTyZO3pXx9pat2KbF1vfgkiWztNMstRyx61gp4STS6RXkxsnM72L_RahbICZ_QY53r0Hqnr9SgXV-iwulCrqwy9zQaZk2ah69kiyP2-cbjfco/s1600/Olivia+signature.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR9HB5AfRiSRgoNK6AV0RbDke3jmZ1XvTyZO3pXx9pat2KbF1vfgkiWztNMstRyx61gp4STS6RXkxsnM72L_RahbICZ_QY53r0Hqnr9SgXV-iwulCrqwy9zQaZk2ah69kiyP2-cbjfco/s1600/Olivia+signature.png" /></a></div>
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P.S. Best pics of us ever, I know...I just thought they were applicable because they show we love our kids a whole lot. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-7747175051381973252015-11-14T19:43:00.000-07:002015-11-14T19:43:36.655-07:00Our Family Favorite Snack<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaNvWeU_GjNTMxl6Xn7I5ZwKp5iqUGKDyHpPcnNVntV8TPU6MURxwEqSrNh-ICJXbSfB1l7EDdM_wSv2X0v2JTLM2mSljpjF2u0JbDbJHADz58rDqKwyLxU36Eu2hL3n2XJOQxAuGrXM/s640/blogger-image--1677935759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaNvWeU_GjNTMxl6Xn7I5ZwKp5iqUGKDyHpPcnNVntV8TPU6MURxwEqSrNh-ICJXbSfB1l7EDdM_wSv2X0v2JTLM2mSljpjF2u0JbDbJHADz58rDqKwyLxU36Eu2hL3n2XJOQxAuGrXM/s640/blogger-image--1677935759.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is an accurate depiction of what happens every time I open a Chobani Flip...Tenley invites herself over.</td></tr>
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A while ago, I was asked by someone from Chobani to review their product. I declined because at the time, I was not a huge fan of yogurt in general (I just have never liked it very much!) and at the time I had only tried Chobani once and found it kind of sour and weird.<br />
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Well, last week, my husband brought home Chobani "flip" in Almond Coco Loco and my thoughts on yogurt were forever changed.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPdrsVp52oCAGnbjVDOAtRPAr1Uj0gDagpkpxV6BxxQrZwRuH-M_T7Unsp0bEWx-OhQ5xAuWlKMyok1a00qnjTGvNsWrZZXuV1ed7wYkfPgBKMVGQ3nkFkUEzYf0SGMJq59mYDcZ9H5c/s640/blogger-image--543353164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPdrsVp52oCAGnbjVDOAtRPAr1Uj0gDagpkpxV6BxxQrZwRuH-M_T7Unsp0bEWx-OhQ5xAuWlKMyok1a00qnjTGvNsWrZZXuV1ed7wYkfPgBKMVGQ3nkFkUEzYf0SGMJq59mYDcZ9H5c/s640/blogger-image--543353164.jpg" /></a></div>
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The first bite I had was like "eh..." </div>
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It was still kind of sour like I'd remembered Chobani being in the past. </div>
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But as time went by, I started thinking about how I wanted more. </div>
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Finally I opened one up for myself. I mixed in the almonds and chocolate chips (as shown in the first picture)...</div>
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And I was in love. It was like eating a delicious dessert for a healthy-ish snack. I don't count calories or anything so I don't really care that it has 230 calories--(that's less than 1 cup of chocolate ice cream though!) I just care that it's yogurt (healthy) and tastes good (dessert). If you are a yogurt fan, I bet you'll love Chobani's "flips"! My favorite part of this one is the soft crunch of the almonds and chocolate chips in my teeth mixed with that subtle coconut flavor. Mmmm! I need to go eat one right now.<br />
<br />
It's our family's new favorite snack. We buy 5 at a time and I have to fight Tenley and Dalin for them (Tenley will get one from the fridge at 5am and bring it to me in bed and say, "Open this" over and over until I say, "No, go put that back right now!" because I don't want her eating my snack and especially not at 5am. She loves them). I have found I prefer to eat them when the babes have gone to bed, otherwise I have two little beggars baring down on me the entire time and I have to share my spoon with them.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I haven't tried the other flavors (because I'm a believer in "if it's not broke, don't fix it";) but once I get sick of this one (<i>IF </i>that happens) I will totally try the others because I am sold on Chobani.<br />
<br />
And I don't know about Chobani's commercials, but Yoplait's irritate me so that's another win in my book.<br />
<br />
Let me know if you've tried these before and tell me your favorite!<br />
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P.S. If you hadn't noticed, I changed my comments thing below in hopes it would make it a bit easier for you to participate. Just sign in through Facebook or if you have a Disqus account, that's great! (And if you want one, it's a quick thing to sign up for). I love reading your thoughts and opinions! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-64308267707703930062015-11-12T23:21:00.002-07:002015-11-13T19:48:53.286-07:00My Greatest Flaw & A Whole Lot of HonestyThis post is not written to gain pity or to be self-critical, but it is to share a bit about what I'm learning about myself recently.<br />
<br />
I'm not going to draw out the part where I tell you what I believe my biggest flaw is--it's pride. I feel pretty confident that in the next life that's going to be the biggest topic of discussion.<br />
<br />
I am <i>so</i> prideful and boy am I grateful for repentance and an Elder Brother who teaches humility by example. I have to work hard at overcoming this flaw daily. I can't blame anyone for it (I wish) but I think that growing up in the northeast didn't help make me the humble servant I should be. And you all should know how rarely I discredit my youth in New England because I really, really love it there.<br />
<br />
But I was raised to have pride in myself. That includes my background, my beliefs, my family--really I was taught to be proud of where I come from. And I was, and still am.<br />
<br />
I have always taken pride in growing up with all brothers in a small town with an excellent school. I take pride that I grew up in such a beautiful place with four distinct seasons, the most beautiful autumns, lakes and ponds everywhere, access to the ocean, and freedom to explore the woods. I felt safe there.<br />
<br />
It wasn't just that though--I took pride in my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had some false sense of superiority over my classmates because I had high moral standards and they, to my immature perception, did not. I liked being different and I liked that people knew my positions on various subjects. I stood firm for what I believed in, whether it was truly accurate or not.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
But my inflated sense of self has surprisingly (har har) not always served me well. In all seriousness, my pride has hurt people. In the past, I have been unkind to people by devaluing their opinions and beliefs. I, who claims to value kindness above almost anything else, have failed at having an attitude of humility.<br />
<br />
If attending Brigham Young University has taught me one thing, it is this: (please pause while I concoct some eloquent way to say what I was thinking five minutes ago but have since forgotten since my TV show just came back on...ummm...and another break to stalk a blog I like...okay, I'll just go for it) I learned that people are not as similar to each other as I once thought, and yet in other ways we are so very alike. (How eloquent was that, huh?)<br />
<br />
What I mean is, we grow up with different backgrounds. Different families, circumstances, beliefs (or lack of beliefs), conditions, struggles, and tests. No two people have the same ones (which is pretty crazy when you pause to think about that).<br />
<br />
I thought BYU would have a very specific mold for its students. We were all mostly Mormon--how different could we be? I had no idea. Maybe partially because I chose a more liberal major than others, I saw a huge variety of people in the English department. And it was a little shocking for me.<br />
<br />
Yet underneath the hipster facades, (or the mom "most-comfortable-thing-I-could-find-with-the-least-amount-of-stains" clothing if you're me) I am pretty sure we are all clueless. We are all struggling in our own various lives at different times, and yet we go through the same things: the same questions, worries, stresses, emotions, and more.<br />
<br />
In my prideful ways, I often behave as though I have things all figured out. I'm <i>obbbbviously </i>an expert at parenting because now I have <i>two </i>kids, and especially because I have one of each. Except that is the hugest lie I tell because I am as clueless as anyone (if not more so...probably more so...), I just don't like to talk about it.<br />
<br />
Fake it 'til you make it, right? I do that. Every day.<br />
<br />
I don't like to feel bad about myself and especially my wife/mothering skills. I don't like to feel like I'm not in control. That's another thing I'm bad at--trusting that God is in control. He is, and I know that and believe it with all my heart. But in my obsessive, controlling, oldest-child mind, I have to feel like I am forging my path. That if I do the right things and am prayerful in my decision-making, we will be taken care of. I truly believe that things will work out. That is not something I need to worry about. But I forget that. Like all the time. (PHEW! My laptop suddenly went to ZERO PERCENT and I just made it to the charger in time. Anyway.)<br />
<br />
I just wanted to tell you that as happy a person as I usually am, I have my days. I wanted to lock my kids in their room today and just sleep three rooms away in the hidden safety of our kitchen pantry, but I couldn't--partly because I was worried someone would find out and call CPS on me, but mostly because my children are little and they need me. Even when I'm a crappy mom like I was today (the last two days I was a pretty dang good mom though if I do say so myself--see? Pride.) they need me.<br />
<br />
I am not sure what this post accomplishes, other than to reveal my truest self. I don't think I've been dishonest prior to now because I really am a happy person 80-82ish % of the time (don't confirm that with Dalin though...). I just like to try and dwell on the good in a world where there is so much negativity around us.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
We've been praying about where we should go and what we should do recently. I have felt impressions to do things after prayer twice that I can recall in my life. First, that I should marry Dalin. And second, that we should be married in the Boston temple. I expected the same when I prayed earnestly on my walk (well sprint) back from the laundry room (sprint because the kids were alone in the apartment and I didn't want them to die) about staying in Utah or moving out of state. But I felt nothing.<br />
<br />
At once, thoughts ran through my head like, "Am I psyching myself into believing my faith was ready for this question?" "Am I missing the feeling?" "Am I imagining that I felt slightly stronger one way?"<br />
<br />
Then it occurred to me: "Maybe both are right."<br />
<br />
Maybe, just maybe, God, our glorious and all-knowing Father, knew that I (we) would make the right choice and that it would all work out whichever we chose. He has guided me to where I am now, but that doesn't mean He is going to baby me all the way. Sometimes, a leap of faith is required to acquire more faith.<br />
<br />
I think He expects us--but me especially--to put aside my pride and my fears for now, and take that leap of faith in whichever direction we choose. And because I trust Him, I will try to do just that.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Full disclosure: this post has not been edited. I don't want to hear about how sucky an English major I am, I just want to go to bed, so if you care, edit it yourself*</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-58945688126910529442015-11-11T22:35:00.000-07:002015-11-11T22:35:07.661-07:00Two Updated PostsWell, I feel like I'm cheating by not writing about something new like I normally do, but today I decided to edit and add to my two most popular posts (which are only popular thanks to Pinterest...but thank you, Pinterest--I owe you;). But I think they are both quite a bit better and hopefully the new information is useful to some of you.<br />
<br />
So here they are:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lilgunnellfam.blogspot.com/2014/09/flying-with-one-year-old-what-you-ought.html">Tips on flying with a one-year old</a> (I wanted to make it two-year old and under, but I thought changing the title might mess the link up)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lilgunnellfam.blogspot.com/2013/11/dear-pregnant-ladies-sharing-15-facts.html">Dear Pregnant Ladies: 15 Things You Ought to Know</a><br />
<br />
See? I kind of cheated. I really wanted to write today but had no ideas. That's me being frank with you.<br />
<br />
Is there anything you'd like to read about in particular? I have a post about yogurt coming up, but that nearly puts me to sleep just typing it.<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-82735939645626447002015-11-10T09:06:00.002-07:002015-11-10T18:08:25.226-07:00Ch-ch-ch-changesI just put in our notice at Wymount Terrace for December 19th. I truthfully didn't think I'd feel as sad as I do. I'm not <i>devastatingly</i> upset...it is getting colder here and I don't care for the laundry arrangement...but the community here is wonderful and the grounds are clean, safe, and perfect for children. Apart from the ward and the outdoor area though, I am looking forward to something new (main things are having a bigger kitchen with a dishwasher I hope and a slightly bigger bathroom)!<br />
<br />
It has been four+ years that we've lived at Wymount. Almost three years in this specific apartment. Both Tenley and Declan joined our family here. There are a lot of memories contained in these whitewashed cinderblock walls.<br />
<br />
Equally pressing is the necessity of finding an affordable place to move our family to since we need to be out of here in about a month! Dalin's been applying to jobs all over the country (really, all over) and has been hired at several...the trouble is the pay hasn't been high enough to tempt us (mostly because it's been less than our current income and if anything, we need more to afford housing elsewhere).<br />
<br />
Another matter is our lease on our car is ending at the end of this month, which I've mentioned before, and we have no idea what vehicle we'll be replacing it with. We were initially looking at mini-vans, but now we're thinking a smaller car and a shorter lease might work just fine for a little while longer (since it seems unlikely that I would have two babies in the next two years).<br />
<br />
So, we are waiting and praying. We've also been searching for affordable housing in Utah County because we may be looking to stay here a few more years so Dalin can move up in his job. Basically, we have no idea what our plans are but it's okay because we have faith it will work out:)<br />
<br />
Hope your holiday season is less confusing than ours at the moment!<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-53990907064965324772015-11-09T15:08:00.000-07:002015-11-10T19:18:50.925-07:00Easy Taco Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I like easy recipes. And this is pretty stinking easy. It's a lot of canned ingredients, but as long as you have a functioning can opener, it's a piece of cake.<br />
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<b>Ingredients: </b><br />
1 package hamburger<br />
1 can whole kernal corn, rinsed (with)<br />
1 can kidney beans, rinsed<br />
1 can red beans, rinsed<br />
1 can pinto beans, rinsed<br />
(basically, any type of beans will work so you can use black or white or chili beans if you have or prefer those and you can just rinse them all together in a collander)<br />
1 can sliced green chilis<br />
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes with green chilis (or just diced tomatoes with chilis)<br />
1 can "Mexican style" stewed sliced tomatoes (the ones we got were okay but sliced bit bigger than we'd expected)<br />
1 can chicken broth<br />
1 packet taco seasoning<br />
1 packet ranch dressing seasoning<br />
1 tsp+ cumin<br />
1 tsp+ chili powder<br />
dash of salt<br />
<br />
<b>Optional ingredients:</b><br />
1 bell pepper, sliced<br />
1 yellow or white onion, sliced<br />
1 can sliced black olives<br />
<br />
<b>Garnish:</b><br />
sour cream<br />
Frito's or corn chips<br />
shredded cheese (garnish)<br />
sliced green onions (garnish)<br />
cilantro (garnish)<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Instructions:</b><br />
1. Cook the hamburger in a pan with the onion and bell pepper if used.<br />
2. Once the hamburger is cooked through, scoop into large pot and add all other ingredients (besides garnish items) and a little water if needed.<br />
3. Mix thoroughly.<br />
4. Bring to a boil on the stove, then simmer anywhere from half an hour to an hour, stirring occasionally.<br />
5. Eat with a glob of sour cream (my husband likes to stir his into it to cool it down and make it more creamy), corn chips, cheese, and other garnish items as desired.<br />
<br />
<i>Serves approximately 8</i> (we each had two+ bowls and had plenty of leftovers).<br />
<br />
That's all I have for you, for now. But it's a delicious and very basic recipe we will be making again. (And it heats up well in the microwave the next couple days in case you're wondering!)<br />
<br />
Enjoy! Comment with questions or substitute suggestions for me below. I always want to make a recipe even better if I can:)<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-38181161066203581622015-11-04T22:09:00.006-07:002015-11-04T22:13:18.249-07:0012 Non-Classic Christmas Movies<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I know it's only November, but I am really excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and one of my favorite traditions around the holidays is to watch cheesy Christmas movies. Most of them are produced by the Hallmark channel. I can't help it, I love them and the cute little romances that always seem to happen! They aren't all about the true meaning of Christmas, <a href="https://www.lds.org/youth/article/focusing-on-christ-at-christmas?lang=eng">which is Christ</a>, but they do have nice messages to take away. I probably wouldn't rate them higher than 4 stars compared to other movies, but they just make me so happy that I watch some of them every year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I still love the Christmas classics, but here are twelve clean Christmas movies that are just fun to watch (the synopses included below are my own):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>A Christmas Kiss. </b>A wannabe interior designer learns that her spontaneous kiss in an elevator was with her snobby boss's boyfriend. She secretly falls more and more in love with him as her boss unwittingly forces them to spend time together planning a Christmas party. (It's really cute and one of my favorites).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>A Holiday Engagement. </b>A newspaper writer's fiancé breaks up with her right before Thanksgiving causing her to hire an actor to take his place to temporarily satisfy her crazy mother. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>A Princess for Christmas. </b>A story about a sweet woman who is guardian to her orphaned niece and nephew. When her royal brother-in-law's family invites them to come stay at Castlebury Hall for Christmas, a romance is sparked between she and the son. Katie McGrath is stunning in both appearance and disposition in the lead role. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>All I Want For Christmas. </b>A boy writes a letter hoping to find a husband for his mom and a toy company grants his wish by setting her up with eligible bachelors. In the end, they find what they've been looking for in an unexpected way.</span></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Christmas Lodge. </b>A romance blossoms when paths cross in the woods around Christmastime. (I loved the cabin in this one, even if the romance wasn't quite what I imagined).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Christmas with a Capital C.</b> This is not a romance, but if you celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, this one is wonderful and modern. When a high-profile lawyer returns to the town where his high school rival is mayor, he tries to stir things up by petitioning to remove the town's nativity display. The movie has a great message and isn't too cheesy until the credits. I would definitely recommend this to other Christians. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dear Santa. </b>A wealthy young woman about to be cut off financially from her parents must make a change in her life when fate drops a letter to Santa asking for a new mom in her path. The woman finds she is a great match for the girl's father but she must compete with a nasty girlfriend. As she falls in love, she ultimately becomes a better and more caring person. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Holiday in Handcuffs. </b>A desperate waitress kidnaps a customer to bring to her family's cabin as her boyfriend for Christmas. Though he does not want to go along with the charade, he ends up falling for his crazy kidnapper. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Love at the Christmas Table. </b>Two friends, Sam and Kat, have sat at the kids' table every year together at Christmas. They only see each other one night a year, but their friendship develops into something more as the years go on. (This is absolutely adorable and I thought it was funny, too. I would definitely watch this one!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>The Christmas Card. </b>A soldier returns home and seeks out the woman who had written him a letter that had lifted his spirits in Iraq. She tries not to fall in love with the soldier (despite her family's encouragement) and out of love with her fiancé, but finds true love in the end. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. </b>A stranger with a delayed flight ends up in the home of a nearly engaged single mother and her uncle and brightens up everyone's Christmas. (I love this one! It's one of my favorites). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>12 Dates of Christmas. </b>A selfish woman must repeat her day until she gets it right and learns to let go of lost love and fall in love with the right person. She learns valuable lessons and ultimately becomes a kinder person. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Have you guys seen any of these? Any that you like, too? Maybe not, if you aren't a fan of cheesy romances, but they have sweet endings and they're fun to watch this time of year to help get you in the Christmas mood. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I also have these on my list to see:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A Royal Christmas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A Very Merry Mix-Up</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Angels and Ornaments</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Back to You and Me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Let it Snow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">One Starry Christmas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Snow Bride</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Surprised by Love</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Christmas Ornament</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Are there any other Hallmark Christmas movies I ought to watch? </span><br />
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In one of my last high school English classes with my favorite teacher of all time, Mr. Hutchison, we made poster boards with our life goals depicted on it. I can still picture my poster, and I'm pretty sure it is buried somewhere in my old room (the room which now belongs to my brother, Donovan).<br />
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Today, as I was considering where I hope to be in the next 5, 10, 20 years, it occurred to me that where I am now, at 24, is pretty much right where I had hoped to be six years ago as an 18-year old young woman (including the goals/hopes that I didn't have a lot of control over, like getting married).<br />
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I attended BYU-Idaho, was set up with my wonderful future husband while there, married him in the Boston temple, worked as an administrative assistant in an office (I'd always wanted to work in an office...I loved it more than any other job), learned to cook well (still improving daily), started my family (and have been so blessed by my darling girl and boy), graduated from BYU with my bachelor's in English, traveled quite a bit within the U.S. in the last four years (I've been to New Hampshire six times since leaving home, Florida twice, San Diego, Arizona twice, Las Vegas, and Idaho many times). We have no debt, a reliable car, a great ward, and Dalin has a great job. We haven't had any major health problems, financial problems, or issues in our marriage. Sometimes (okay, quite often) I wonder when the Big One is going to hit. The big trial that will seriously test my faith and that we will struggle to get through as a family. (If you know me, I'm a pretty optimistic person but I have my negative (or as I prefer to say, realist) moments).<br />
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I share this in awe because I feel so immensely grateful for the blessings my family has received, and which I have received personally. I do not know why or how I've been so lucky but the only thing I can attribute these things to is my daily choice to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.<br />
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My life is by no means a cakewalk. I have trials that test me personally, and I have doubted before. Questions have entered my mind and still do sometimes and I've felt my faith tested. But when those doubts have come into my mind, I've recalled the words of a wise apostle: "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." I've prayed for strength. I've prayed for knowledge of the truth and for answers. And through my own pondering, prayer, and scripture reading, I have found answers. I did not sit idly by and hope for a vision. I have sought out answers <b>or the peace to accept things as they are</b> without my full comprehension of them, trusting that someday I would be provided with an answer. These thoughts have crossed my mind before: <i>I don't want to go to church today, </i>and <i>What if I just stopped going</i>? But during these instances, in the back of my mind I have felt the gentle reminder that the gospel has never led me astray--instead it has only guided me to true happiness whenever I have let it.<br />
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Sometimes the gospel feels complicated. There are so many responsibilities and things I should be doing that it's overwhelming and my sights and desires are not always aligned with that of Heavenly Father. But it's me who is making it complicated, because really, the gospel is very simple, and our Father does not expect perfection. He knows we will make mistakes and loves us for it anyway. We just have to be the best we can be and <i>that is enough</i> because of the sacrifice of our loving Brother, Jesus Christ.<br />
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I feel fervently that my efforts to live the gospel have been key to my happiness. I have strived to live the gospel throughout my life and I truly believe I have been rewarded for it. I know that this does <i>not </i>mean those who have had trials--trials which I cannot even fathom facing--have done less or more poorly than I have. In many instances, they've probably done better to demonstrate their immense faith. I also know that hard things may be ahead for me and my family. But I believe that Heavenly Father does not give us more than we can handle. He knows our limits and He tests us to strengthen our faith, which, like a muscle, will grow the more we endure.<br />
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I have joked that I must not be able to handle very much because I have not been given any significant trials, just lots of little ones. But Heavenly Father knows me, and I trust in Him.<br />
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With that shared, my goal in the next five years is to have more babies, continue to travel and take vacations as a family (hopefully, Ireland and Scotland, but I can wait if need be), read more, worry less, play with my kids more, paint more, be happier, and more grateful for what I have. I hope in the next five years we will be settled in a home and that Dalin will have completed his master's and have started a career he will love. I hope we will all be healthy and be able to visit our extended family often. I hope I will have found an enjoyable means of contributing to our family income that will not take me away from my children.<br />
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In the next ten years, I hope we will have completed our family, moved to the east coast (ideally;), and settled in a home we can remain in for many years to come. I hope we will be close to the ocean or a lake and that we will be able to travel often to visit family. I hope my children will be strong in the gospel and be healthy and smart and active in school activities.<br />
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In twenty years, I hope we will be sending Tenley and Declan off to universities and missions and preparing them for eternal marriages. I hope my other children will continue to be strong in the gospel and excel in school and whatever interests they pursue. I hope we will have traveled as a family to Europe and been excellent examples of service to others, both in our community and in other places in the world. I hope I will have taken on a job as an editor or writer or teacher (or something else I'd love) and be able to support our family. I hope we will have taken some risks, like flipping a house, or traveling cross-country with our family. I hope Dalin and I will continue to nurture our marriage and our love for one another will grow even stronger. I hope we will look back on the last twenty-something years of marriage and be proud of all we have accomplished. I hope we will have created the beginning of a family legacy that our parents, grandparents, and ancestors would be proud of.<br />
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Those are my hopes for the little Gunnell family. I don't expect them all to happen, but I know that we are in good hands and in the end, everything will work out.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-35604177583880337852015-10-12T21:19:00.001-06:002015-10-12T21:19:42.198-06:00Catching up in October+My wonderful in-laws were in town for our nephew's baby blessing and though it was a quick trip, we had fun eating yummy food, playing Sleeping Queens (have you heard of it? It's fun), watching football (not by choice on my part;), shopping with Grandma for baby clothes, and sharing lots of laughs. We also watched the movie "McFarland, USA," which almost (<i>almost</i>) made me miss running cross-country. But no matter my feelings toward running, it was a really good movie! I loved it! It was cute, funny, and meaningful and I would highly recommend it, even if you have no interest in running.<br />
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+We are still getting in the swing of things after returning from New Hampshire and not having school. It's awesome, but weird. I kind of have this annoying nagging feeling that I'm forgetting something all the time. It drives me crazy. But I love being able to relax and enjoy the kids and offer them my full attention when they need it. I am way less stressed and miraculously getting a lot more sleep for the first time in a long time. Basically, the kids go to bed between 8 and 8:30pm and then I do a quick clean sweep of the house and join them--because laying down to snuggle your babies at bedtime will pretty much put you into sleep mode--especially if it takes a while.<br />
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+Our lease on our 2012 Toyota Camry will be up at the end of November and I could not be more psyched (especially after attempting to squeeze a third carseat into the back row and finding it impossible...how will I ever have more babies with so small a car??). The trouble is knowing that we have to make a down payment on another car (we plan to lease again because we don't feel ready to commit to a particular car...plus we like getting a new--CLEAN--car every few years and having all oil changes and maintenance taken care of for free), an increase in monthly payment amount, and there's the matter of choosing the car. We are currently deciding between the Toyota Sienna (I've relinquished all antagonism toward minivans, realizing that wanting five or more kids means sacrifices must be made...even if it means driving a hideous car) and the Mitsubishi Outlander. The thing is, either way, we'll probably only have the car three years tops so if we mess up it's not the end of the world. If you happen to have an affordable alternative or opinion about these cars, please--I'm all ears! My priorities (and I've really slimmed down the list) are easy accessibility to all rows/seats (since we're going to have sooo many dang carseats), trunk space (at least enough for a double stroller), and ideally, A/C and heat in the backseats. I don't want our kids to be hot/freezing, but also I have to sit in the backseat a lot during road trips and I don't want to suffer either! Also, dark interior to hide spills, but that's unrelated to the car type.<br />
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+We have two and a half or less months until we have to leave Wymount because we <i>both</i> will be done at BYU. I am excited, but also we have no idea where we're going or what we're doing. I'm a planner, so that's really unusual for me. Are we staying in Utah a few more years or taking a job somewhere else? Your guess is as good as mine. I am leaving it in the Lord's hands and hoping I don't have to figure that out (poor Dalin may be in charge of that one)!!<br />
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+In that same vein (talking about moving and houses), I've been watching so many home improvement shows lately on HGTV. House Hunters is one of my favorites. I love getting inspiration. I've also been checking homes on Zillow almost as frequently as I check my other social medias. I am just dying to have an idea of what our home will be like so I can figure out projects for it. I'm trying really hard to be patient in the meantime. <i>Trying</i>. Really hard. Dalin may disagree with that, but that's really me trying, dear! I'm so sorry you have to put up with me.<br />
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+I am the worst blogger ever. I am so sorry to you guys who regularly read (or want to). I pretty much use Instagram more than anything else because it's fast and I only have to find one picture. Anyway, I'll do my best to work on that.<br />
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Happy October! Fall is my favorite! Have the best day ever.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5166202068598455178.post-44798757549866438702015-09-11T19:08:00.001-06:002015-09-11T19:08:26.133-06:00NH Living and an Update<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">+New Hampshire is to die for right now. I am loving every second of being here. The weather has been beautiful and actually kind of cool with the last few rainy days, which I've been very grateful for since the weather was ridiculous in Utah (90s+ is WAY too hot for me) and (surprisingly) only kind of hot in Arizona (though we were inside in the A/C or out in the pool most of the time so it didn't seem that hot). We intend to visit the ocean tomorrow if the weather is as nice as the weatherman claims it will be. Both babies have been to the Pacific ocean, but Declan has yet to touch the Atlantic. We ate steamers yesterday and I had a lobster roll for lunch. So...life is good. 8-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">+I've been dying to sleep under the stars with the kids but <strike>fate</strike> stuff keeps getting in the way. We were all gung-ho to sleep on the trampoline in my parents' backyard tonight (it's surrounded by a net in case you were concerned about us rolling off or getting mauled by something) but my naughty little brother apparently threw a water balloon on the tramp earlier today and it is SOAKING wet and COLD (which I found out as I hauled a pile of quilts out there to prepare our bed). Quite disappointing, but there has to be one dry, warmish night in the next two weeks, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">+I miss Dalin. Like so much. He's my best friend and my heart has this constant little ache while we're apart. I'm counting down the days (5) until he's back with us. I know the kids miss him, too. Tenley keeps telling me, "Dada working at the house," which is actually true because he works at a house. I can't wait to give him a zillion smooches. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">+We don't own a bathroom scale, so whenever I come home, I check my weight on the one in my parents' bathroom. Apparently, I am back to exactly my original weight pre-Tenley, which is 105lbs (remember, I'm 5'0--the ideal weight for my frame is 98-116lbs). That, however, was with muscle and everything else pre-baby. At 9 months post-partum after Tenley, (which is when I got pregnant with Declan and the only reason I know my weight) I weighed 96lbs. While I am happy about being back at my original weight, (especially when I've literally made the effort to exercise two times since birthing Declan...I hate it) I certainly don't feel back to my old self. Of course there are stretch marks, and my hips are a little wider from birthing two babies in two years and stuff, but what really bothers me aren't those things (I actually like my hips now) but <b>the bulge</b>. If you've had a baby, I bet you know what I'm talking about. It's like the muffin top that doesn't stop. And it feels like it can never be fixed (though exercise would probably help...). Besides that post-partum bulge around my jeans line that I have a hard time coping with (especially since I plan to get pregnant again <strike>so what's the point</strike>), I'm feeling pretty good--I think I might start exercising though and maybe I'll even try doing the whole30 routine...who knows? Miracles happen. I think it was today when I ate two packets of fruit snacks, 1/4 of a loaf of Parisian bread, and a shocking amount of thin mint Girl Scout cookies that it hit me that I should probably start eating better. So I'm telling you people this so I can be held accountable, because accountability is the only way I get things accomplished around here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">+Cute moment today: I was at TJMaxx with my mom and the babies and I tried on a black cat ears headband in the Halloween section while wearing Deckie in the wrap and when I looked down at him he started laughing. It was hilarious. Every time I looked down at him so he could see the ears he'd get a big smile and start giggling. I was about to record it on my phone when, of course, it died. But it was the funniest, cutest thing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">+Tenley just crawled up next to me on my mom's bed and randomly hugged my neck and kissed me and said, "I love you, mama." Then she started touching my eyebrows and said, "I like your bo-brows, mommy." She just told me, "Mommy, I'm gonna fix your hair...I like your hair" as she starts laughing because it's messy. She's the best. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">+That reminds me, I got my hair cut today. It feels great. Claudia thinned out the hair by my neck a lot. It had been a huge mess. Thick hair problems. Sidebar: Why do girls either have thin hair or thick hair? Is there no in-between? Just wondering because everyone seems convinced they're one or the other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well I wish I had the motivation to blog more, but I am enjoying life too much! You can follow me on Instagram @lilgunnellfam if you want to see more of us (and by us, I mean my kids;) though. I go on Instagram more than any other app by far. Note to self: Use my digital camera more. Even though it's a pain. </span><br />
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P.S. <strike>Hopefully </strike> Ideally...I'll add pictures later. </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06678783071971458324noreply@blogger.com1