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| These kids have had too much fun with their Auntie. Here they are trying on her earrings |
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| Yes, Luke did not want to be left out! Oh my.... |
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| This was Shelby's first day here. She brought the kids toys and treats |
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| The Claire...a sideways shot |
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| Trying on Shelby's SEVERAL pairs of shoes has been a favorite pastime! |
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| Playing with a neighbor's sprinkler |
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| Out to eat our first weekend with Mariah. We tried out an Italian place. It was yummy and the kids are getting much better at behaving in restaurants |
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| Church has been a smooth ride lately. I love this pic! |
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| Twinners....Emmie has been into making these faces :) |
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| Shelbs trying out the Pilot |
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| Making forts |
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| Undie heads...Sloth on the right |
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| More Book of Mormon stories. The King in diapers is my favorite |
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| Swimming on the rec center |
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| Blow drying their hair in the bathroom since they went to the rec center during a "swim class" and got kicked out. They had fun hanging out in the bathroom showering, etc instead! At least it gave me a break with the baby. |
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| Days at the park |
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| Indoor Play Equip. store...air hockey! Em and Luke actually got really good at this |
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| Emmie is always coming up with all these ideas to make Claire forts, houses out of boxes, etc. |
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| Shelby made Emmie a bow and arrow. She is my little fireball "Merida" from the movie Brave. I highly recommend that movie! |
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| We went swimming again at "Mister Thomas'" pool |
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| Our Claire Bear |
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| The Library |
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| Clay sculptures |
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| Love his excited face... |
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| Popping popcorn for our movie night with Shells |
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| Emmie came up one day with her bears all decked out. So cute |
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| We had this fun idea one morning to do a "read-a-thon" We read books in sleeping bags and ate popcorn just like I did as a little girl in Elem. School. |
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| Claire's socks matched Sheller's pants and we thought it was picture worthy |
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| 4th of July baby |
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| Our 4th of July ridiculously huge pizza! We were going to go into the city for the fireworks but felt the heat would not be good for our lil fam. Instead we ate pizza, watched Enchanted and saw some local fireworks (which we ended up not being able to see very well because a church steeple/bell was in the way!) |
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| Waiting for the fireworks at a park near Fairfax High |
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| Luke kept saying "I'm bigger than the fireworks" Well, sure enough he was right! |
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| Splash pad! Shelby has had some bad luck here in VA. A lot of places she has gone to with the kids has been closed the day she goes: rec center, library, public park, splash pad (the park was only closed ONE day to cut down a tree), etc. Poor Shelbs!!! Luckily this day, we found another splash pad to go to. |
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| Yeah baby! |
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| It was so hot there, we eventually had Claire hanging out in her diaper! |
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| This little contraption at the park was very cool. Emmie could jump in, lean to one side and it would swing her around and around. She thought it was the coolest thing! |
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| Girl's night out! Jon watched all three kiddos (no small feat) while Shelbs and I had a night out in the town... |
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| First up: Serendipity and their insanely large menu |
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| With insanely large desserts!! |
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| And don't worry, we ordered TWO desserts (I don't think I've ever done that at a restaurant! It was awesome. We had our desserts picked out before even looking at the dinner menu. We ended up getting a BBQ burger and some pasta for dinner |
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| And yes, we finished them both! |
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| The funny part was that the server gave Shelby the bill... |
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| It was fun to be with my sis! |
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| Then we went to the coolest place: The Pentagon Memorial. It was dedicated on September 11, 2008. I seriously cannot describe to you in words how special and touching this memorial was. |
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| Each bench was dedicated to a person who had died either in the Pentagon, or in the Flight 77 that hit the building. The benches were facing different directions. The first bench above was facing the building. This means that person was in the plane when it crashed. If the bench was facing away from the building, it meant that individual was in the Pentagon when they died. |
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| The benches had fountains and lights underneath them. |
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| The trees, lights and water are a representation of life and hope. It was a very serene place. |
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| I could not believe that such a tragic thing had happened in this very beautiful place. I felt sadness, but also gratitude for the people who had made this tribute so special. It made me reflect on the beauty of life and feel gratitude for my loved ones. |
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| More play time with Shelby. She has been so creative and has done such fun things with the kiddos. I love her fresh energy and ideas! |
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| Sunday dinner time..... |
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| TWINNERS! |
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| Love the shorts on Em! |
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| Ahh yeah! |
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| She is getting SO big! Almost outgrown the kitchen tub :) |
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| The baby "Peesh" (after Grandma Patricia who is sometimes nicknamed "Peesh") | | |
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We are soaking up all the time with Shelby that we can! More to come on
our beach trip (we leave tomorrow morning...can't wait!!)
