tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88294494376434025962024-03-14T00:05:28.567-07:00Please Pass the PiercesWendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.comBlogger432125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-68226843791604300322014-01-04T19:20:00.001-08:002014-01-04T19:20:32.699-08:00Pinterestmas<div>
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I went all crazy Pinterest this year for Christmas! What? I'm horrible at crafts and DIY stuff. I am. But here's some stuff that even I could pull off! </div>
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Homemade infused booze. So easy. But so good! The Jalapino one will clear a cold up in one whiff, I swear! </div>
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Okay, so this is actually a wrap up I just did from last year. My dad gave me the stuff to make these shelves for Charlie last Christmas, but I just did it last week! It's outdoor flower baskets, painted white and hung on his wall. Charlie loves it too. He's kinda into digging into stuff right now and the bottom one is just digging height! </div>
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Writing on mugs and plates - I saw this last year, but then I saw that it didn't work. The original Pin said to use permanent marker - but what you have to do is go to Hobby Lobby and get a porcelain pen. Then let it sit for 8 hours, then bake it. But it's great! </div>
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Self explanatory. </div>
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We've had this huge frame hanging up for a while. I like changing it for the seasons but for now we're going to try a chalk board. It's like crazy hard to write nicely on a chalk board. I did a new one for January and I'm not thrilled but I'll keep at it for a couple more months. </div>
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My friend Lindsey game me the idea for this one. We dyed kitchen clothes then dipped spoons in paint. I really liked doing this and giving these. </div>
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What other easy Pinterest stuff is out there? I'm gonna need new stuff soon! </div>
WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-34969060937604011702014-01-04T19:12:00.001-08:002014-01-04T19:12:05.361-08:00Charlie's BEST Birthday ever!on December 29th Savannah told Charlie that he would have his BEST Birthday EVER! We figured that was probably pretty likely since it was his first one. <br />
Some things Charlie is doing:<br />
Walking<br />
Saying "Mama" - which means "more"<br />
Saying "Uh Oh"<br />
Eating pretty much all kinds of foods<br />
Drinking Whole Milk<br />
Crawling up the stairs<br />
Loves bath time with sister!<br />
Plays ball.<br />
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We went to my parent's house for lunch. My mom signs everyone in our family up for this Birthday cake drawing with a local radio station and it's awesome because we almost always win! I think every person in our family had a free cake from HyVee on our birthday this year. And last year. Since Charlie is still working on blowing on things and when we tried it with Savannah on her first Bday, she grabbed the fire - we just let Savannah blow out his candle. <br />
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But little Bubs got his own cake! First Cake!!!<br />
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Do you think he enjoyed it?<br />
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He got some gifts too. I realized this year how hard it will be to separate his Birthday from Christmas. But since it was his first one, we were all just happy to celebrate. He loves this hammer toy. He plays with it a lot every day still. Actually, he just loves tools.<br />
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Thanks to everyone that loves and has loved Charlie this year. He's a blast. And I think he's going to age well with time. </div>
WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-78875728406990862072014-01-04T19:03:00.001-08:002014-01-04T19:03:20.057-08:00Christmas post 2013<div style="text-align: center;">
Yet another great Christmas and Christmas season has passed us. Having two kids this year, and a husband and daughter that have two weeks off, and a warm fire place really helped. </div>
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Our church tried a new thing this year in celebrating Advent. I usually put Christmas stuff up the week before (yes, before) Thanksgiving. I figure if you're decorating, you better get all the bang out of it you can! But the preparation in my heart doesn't start until a couple weeks before Christmas. So not only was my home ready early, but also my soul. My high school girls group also did a little Advent - we read through most of the Old Testament of the Jesus Storybook Bible (the best Bible out there in my humble opinion). And Savannah is getting it more and more. I love talking through Jesus with her. </div>
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Here are some highlights from the season: </div>
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Savannah went to see Santa at the mall. That guy makes her nervous. No one makes her nervous anywhere else in life - but this guy! She stands 3 feet away and shakes the whole time they are talking. She had a list 2 miles long of things she would like for Christmas, but she could only remember one thing. And when we got done she said "It's just that I don't know him very well. I only saw him once last year and then again today". What's not to love about Savannah? </div>
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Here's our church on the weekend before Christmas. They did a great video/drama/poetry series leading up to Christmas and then brought it all together. Go to www.cornerstonelife.com if you want to check it out at all. </div>
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School got out. Travis and I went to a wedding and Savannah and Charlie had an overnight at my parents house. The next day we left for Oklahoma! 9 hours in the car. The kids did great. Savannah was very cooperative (thanks a little bit to the "prize box") and Charlie slept like a champ! </div>
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Oklahoma was frozen when we got there. I'm not a nature lover most of the time, but it was beautiful! </div>
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Aunt Missy came for Christmas at the Pierces. I love this picture of Savannah and Malisa building a ginger bread (Graham cracker) house together. Savannah is cracking up because she keeps licking the frosting and getting in trouble from Missy. </div>
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Charlie loved Christmas. He was supposed to be here for it last year but missed out because the stinker wanted to stay inside a little longer. He was into everything this year! Ripping paper. Climbing in boxes. Everything. </div>
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Yeah - that's actually happening in this picture. He's a Pierce boy. What can I say? </div>
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Poppy came and stayed with us for a week in November, but Grammy was in India then, so it was good for her to get to hang with Charlie too! He just loves life. </div>
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Here's Travis' cousin Clifford. Travis says that he is a "real Pierce" in size and he's hoping Charlie will grow up to be as broad and tall as Clifford. Our kids LOVE Clifford. He teases and wrestles them like crazy. </div>
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We came back home and had a day to recoup. We unloaded all our junk and Travis and Savannah picked up a friend of hers to go sledding. Savannah only had two play dates all break! I thought she'd get bored of us but thankfully she loves her family. </div>
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Here's Charlie getting into his stocking on Christmas morning number 2. BAHHH - Is he ever cute!</div>
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We took a trip a few weeks ago to a farming store in Ankeny with my parents. They had a huge toy section and Savannah walked my mom through it showing her EVERY toy she'd like to get. So when Savannah opened this Sophia the First set, she was pretty excited. My mom had bought it that day and kept it a secret the whole time. It was great because the family fits perfect into my dad's gift to her….</div>
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He remodeled and redecorated her doll house! Our neighbors gave us this house. It was their kid's back in the 70's. I the walls had outdated wallpaper and it was kinda plain. My dad lifted the roof to make the attic usable, put a drawer in the bottom to store all the dolls and furniture, and decorated each room based on drawings that Savannah did one night when he asked her what her dream rooms would be like. They got the furniture from a store in town - it makes noises and plays songs, which Charlie has already figured out. He also put several free standing lights (not pictured) in it and drilled windows all over so it will be well lit. Doll house perfection. </div>
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We were very blessed by our friends and families this year. And most of all blessed to again celebrate God with us! He did that! He came to be WITH US. </div>
WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-14472601082814187872013-12-10T06:54:00.001-08:002013-12-10T06:54:37.877-08:00freezer meals<ul aria-atomic="false" aria-live="polite" aria-relevant="additions" class="uiList _2ne _4kg" id="webMessengerRecentMessages" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="_2n3" style="border-top-color: rgb(232, 232, 232); border-top-style: solid; border-width: 0px; margin: 24px 20px 2px; text-align: center;"><b>My friend Laura (also known as the Kitchen Tutor </b>http://kitchentutor.wordpress.com) first turned me on to freezer meals about a month before Charlie was born. She assured me that in the last days of pregnancy I would appreciate it - and I did! I made all kinds of meals with her - about 12 I think. After Charlie was born we finished them off by alternating them with the food that people brought over. So I got out of a solid month and a half of cooking. When the freezer meals stopped at the same time people stopped bringing food I almost panicked. How do people cook with two kids around? So I made more freezer meals. I love having them on hand. I love giving them to new moms. I love knowing that if I totally get lazy or run out of food there is always SOMETHING. So another friend asked me a while ago to give her the run down on some of my favorites and here they are. All via Pinterest. </li>
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First - you must make and freeze cookie dough balls. Make dough, roll into balls, freeze on a cookie sheet and place into freezer bag. I use these to supplement paying babysitters 😊 And also to grab at 4pm to satisfy myself. </div>
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Here: I LOVE the chicken curry on this one. Pretty sure I forgot the mango. That probably makes it cheaper to leave it out. I also never use chicken thighs, but that's just me. We are boneless skinless people. Healthy Mamma BBQ is okay, but you have to add some vinegar and sugar to it to make it decent, which makes it less healthy.
<a class="_553k" href="http://www.mamaandbabylove.com/2011/04/05/freezer-cooking-with-slow-cooker-recipes/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.mamaandbabylove.com/2011/04/05/freezer-cooking-with-slow-cooker-recipes/</a></div>
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I'm pretty sure this was the first website I went to. I pretty much did what they said and it was good. I swap out chicken and beef for Fajitas a lot. I remember it all being pretty good.
<a class="_553k" href="http://www.savingyoudinero.com/2012/06/12/1-hour-1-mess-5-crock-pot-meals/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.savingyoudinero.com/2012/06/12/1-hour-1-mess-5-crock-pot-meals/</a></div>
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Travis LOVES the worlds best chicken on this one. And if you do a cilantro lime / chicken taco one ever, just know that you're gonna want to add in cheese or sour cream or avocado when you dish it up. They are good but turn out a little dry.
<a class="_553k" href="http://www.overthebigmoon.com/freezer-meals/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.overthebigmoon.com/freezer-meals/</a></div>
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This might be my all time favorite - I like the international foods I guess 😊
<a class="_553k" href="http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/easy-crockpot-mongolian-beef/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://whoneedsacape.com/2012/11/easy-crockpot-mongolian-beef/</a></div>
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We don't really make sandwiches and I don't do anything (besides meatballs) that you have to cook before you freeze. That kind of takes the easy out of it for me. If the chicken is turning out dry, just shred it and serve it with rice, or put cheese on it. Flank steak seems to be a good player. I keep a good stash of frozen veggies on hand too for sides. </div>
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It's easiest to start with one of the "30 meals in 4 hours" kind of things. Just scale it back a bit if that seems crazy. But that might help you get the idea of what you're going for in a system for next time. Good luck! </div>
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WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-23293475297328958462013-11-19T08:03:00.001-08:002013-11-19T08:03:52.779-08:00Remember when Charlie started sleeping? <br />
Remember when Charlie started sleeping well? Me neither. <div>
Actually, he had a few Golden,…. nope, we'll call them Bronze weeks. He was taking TWO 2 hour naps a day and sleeping from 7:30pm - 4:30am, eating, and going back to sleep until 6:30am. Still not ALL night but close enough. </div>
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The last few days he's been napping 30 - 45 minutes and waking up at midnight or two and then at 4 and then at 5:30…. Am I dying here? I think maybe this is how zombies really started. Sleep deprived parents with no other way to cope and when they died, their bodies were so used to functioning with no real energy that they didn't realized that they should stop now. I don't know. You decide. </div>
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WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-25159814952681984272013-11-19T07:58:00.001-08:002013-11-19T07:58:27.974-08:00Peacock Princess Dancer and Pajama Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Halloween was a few weeks ago - did you know that? :) Savannah came up with this grand idea of a costume to be a Princess Peacock Dancer thing… I think she just saw several things she wanted and put them together. She's pretty smart. I bought (what seems to be) an old dance costume from a second hand store and my mom did the rest. She sewed real peacock feathers on the back and then found and added to the mask. If you can't tell by the pictures, Savannah felt pretty awesome. </div>
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Since it was almost bed time by the time trick or treat started, Charlie went as "Pajama Party boy" - which means he wore his PJs and tried to stay warm/awake. We have some real party goers around our neighborhood when it comes to Halloween. Several of our neighbors had dressed up and put out yard displays. There was even a fog machine across the street that filled the entire street with a cloud. It was pretty amazing. </div>
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My parent's neighbors, Mark and Roy, had a pretty extensive display also. Those giant spiders were hilarious. Savannah was walking up the side walk and they jumped ON her. She freaked out. This picture was after when she had decided they were cool. </div>
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Savannah came in with a truck load of candy for sure, and yes, we let her eat it. All of it. Not right away but over a few weeks. Because we're like that. </div>
WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-59362726274001221062013-11-18T11:36:00.000-08:002013-11-18T11:36:46.576-08:00My Journey into higher learningI've been doing youth ministry at Cornerstone Church for almost 10 years, 6 of which I have been employed there part time. I love my job. I was once challenged to think through the kinds of things I am most fueled by and to think of my dream job in relation to that - what I came up with was Tour Guide! That's a kind of funny dream job - but when I think about what I do at Cornerstone, it's pretty similar. Through out my week I get to host people at our church at in our home. I get to teach them about things that I have learned and open their eyes to a new view. I get to solve problems here and there and I get to be a part of where we are going. Pretty amazing. <br />
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In the last few years Cornerstone has begun to offer Masters level theology classes. Many of the men I work with, and some of the woman have taken these classes and already received a Masters in Theology. Yay for them! It takes a lot of work to do something like that. Recently, it has been put in front of me that I too ought to consider taking these classes. There are several reasons that have been brought to my attention by co-workers, superiors, and Travis that I agree with and I'm not going to go into - but overall I am getting the feeling (spiritually and logically) that I will soon be enrolled in CLASSES! I am 32 years old. I have no undergrad degree. I have never liked school and even dropped out of Kindergarten for peat's sake! And here I am, about to take Masters level classes. <br />
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I've been working through some pretty significant insecurities the last few weeks. I wasn't aware that those were still laying around in the depth of my soul. I'm a ridiculously secure person over all. When I think of reading books and comprehending them and having a dead line and writing a paper…. I cry a little. Not always outwardly, but always in my heart. I am a terrible reader. I'm not illiterate. I just can't just read and get it. Not at all. Most adults I know can. They talk about the books they are reading for fun or entertainment or to better their parenting. I try. I do. But when it takes me 10 minutes to fight through 3 pages….. So here are some truths I've discovered about this:<br />
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Truth #1: Satan wants to kill and destroy me. He wants me to believe that I am Dummy McDummerson. He wants me to quit. To think that I cannot understand what others can and that I cannot do anything that is hard or would require something more than I personally can give. Satan wants nothing good for me and will do anything to bring me harm. <br />
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Truth #2: It is not up to Wendy Sue Pierce to figure out the key to understanding the depths of wisdom that explain the Word of God. That's the role of the Holy Spirit. I have no business worrying about how I will get myself to do something that only He can do in me. <br />
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Truth #3: I have a great husband who is willing to love and support me. Jesus is totally on my side and one way He has shown that is by giving me a husband, Travis Pierce, who is also on my side. He has already championed for me with encouragement and grace. In actuality - he is the student of the house and he would much rather be the one enrolled in a class of any kind. But by his servanthood and love for me and for what God is doing in and with my life - he's giving this to me. <br />
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So I'll keep you posted.<br />
Back to school, back to school to prove to dad that I'm no fool.<br />
- That's a movie quote for the older crowd - I don't actually have to prove anything to my dad. :)<br />
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<br />WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-24638339667598734502013-11-18T11:24:00.001-08:002013-11-18T11:24:18.956-08:00Coats come out<div style="text-align: center;">
I've been verbally beaten up a few times for not updating my blog. I know not a ton of people read it, but I guess for people that have moved away, it's a little helpful. Our kids are growing up big time and they are REALLY fun. </div>
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We went to a fund raiser at Ames Middle School, where Travis teaches now. Savannah got to get her hair colored and since I happened to have a friend doing the face painting and she snuck us in, the lucky girl got that done too. She will wait in line all day long for a balloon animal or to get her face painted. Unfortunately for her, Grandma is usually the only one willing to wait with her. </div>
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Do you like that glow-in-the-day pink coat? It's from Target. We initially got one from Walmart because Savannah liked it so much, but it broke after a few weeks. Walmart Fallapart. That's what Travis says. :) It's true. Sorry. </div>
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Savannah really really wanted to do the money bars when school started. They have a small play ground and a few of her friends could do them. When school started all she could do was hang on the first bar. But she worked and worked at it and now she's a pro. She can swing across them over and over. It's a huge accomplishment and something she's found a lot of pride in. </div>
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Charlie baby is TEN months old now. He is getting to be SO much fun. He crawls and gets into everything. But he's a little different than Savannah was in that he also likes to sit with me and just snuggle. He may end up being a little less cray cray than his sister. He is wearing size 18m shirts. </div>
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Travis and I celebrated (sort of) our 11 year anniversary a couple weeks ago. We had the honor of helping with some friends of ours wedding. To young kids that we met when they were 14. They both went on missions trips with us in high school and came to our small groups. They were always meant for each other. It was so much fun and kind of like a dream come true (for me and for the bride) to see them finally get married. </div>
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Can you believe this kid? Look at his head. It's so big. </div>
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Savannah is still enjoying school a lot. I love that she loves it. She has so many new friends and it makes for so many great conversations around our house. Today she sat in the kitchen and told me about the "authors box" in her room and then she described to me a story that she wrote for it. And how her friend (that sometimes she doesn't like because he is mean) helps her spell words out that she doesn't know for her stories. So he's kind of a mean friend and kind of a good friend. </div>
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I'll try to post again soon. Especially for you, Charissa :) </div>
WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-90360175358240276332013-10-14T10:16:00.002-07:002013-10-14T10:16:33.908-07:00Recentness<div style="text-align: center;">
It's been so long. My kids are getting so huge! So here's some pictures of them and what we've been doing. I tried to put some new ones that didn't appear in other social media, but those are some of the best ones anyway. </div>
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Kindergarten is in full swing! Savannah had trying first few weeks, but now she loves it. She starts her day there at 8:25, and gets to come home at 3:20. They have a little rest time in the afternoon, but she's pretty busy all day. We are loving how much she is learning. Today I woke up at 6:25am and heard her practicing letter sounds in her dark room. She gets to eat school lunch once a week (we let her choose which day from the school menu) and Travis packs her lunch the other days. He always puts some candy or something in it, so she loves that. Charlie and I went to eat lunch with her one day. It was a lot of fun to interact with some of her new girl friends. They all love Charlie! </div>
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This picture is pretty blurry, but we got a bird! Her name is Princess Pepperwood - a compromise on the name. You can guess which part Savannah contributed. We really like having a bird and Savannah is working on learning to feed and water it herself. Charlie loves watching the bird. Sometimes I put it on the table so he can "interact" with it. </div>
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Baby boy is getting big! He'll be 10 months at the end of October, and I'm putting him in 12 months clothes already. I have no idea how much he weighs now, but it's a lot. He still isn't sleeping through the night, but we're going to work on that. He's eating all kinds of things. He prefers food he can put in his mouth himself and the little stinker is already avoiding vegetables! You wouldn't think by looking at him that he avoids any food. He's also crawling everywhere. Wont be too long before he works on walking. </div>
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We keep reminding ourselves, when things get crazy and when both Savannah and Charlie are freaking out. When we are so so so tired. And when scheduling naps and play dates is ridiculous - this is a short short phase. We are in a season. Our kids are amazing. We love them and even though it will be nice when they don't take so much out of us - we know we will miss having a baby and a five year old because they are such a joy!</div>
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WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-33916173753907046732013-10-09T11:44:00.001-07:002013-10-09T11:44:29.393-07:00Worry about yourself! <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4A6Bu96ALOw" width="480"></iframe><br />
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This video is probably cuter if you have little kids and have experienced the "joy" of trying to help them in their stubbornness. <br />
I was recently able to attend a conference in Chicago through the Revive Our Hearts ministry. I knew it was geared for woman in leadership, but not much else. The theme of the who deal ended up being based around the idea of helping people see grace during times of trial. Getting in the mess and really ministering to the most hurting people that need ministered too. I don't know about you - but that's something I tend to want to run from! The weekend was good for my soul, and my leadership, in that it helped me to have the confidence I sometimes lack in knowing the truth about what God says about trial. Hopefully I'll get around to more of that later, but for today I was looking through my notes from the first session and remembered this video. Here are some of the points that connect with it:<br />
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- God is our help. Johovah Azer. I AM help. <br />
- Sometimes we would rather live in defeat than cry out to God for His help. He wants to help us and He will wait for us to cry out. He will wait for us to try getting help from other gods (people, quick fixes, programs) if that's what it takes.<br />
- God does not help those who help themselves. He helps those who cry out for help!<br />
- Anything that makes you need God is a blessing.<br />
- He would love for us to recognize - Why do I desperately need God today? You do need him. <br />
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May God never allow me to get to the point where I think I can do what He has called me to do without His help. <br />
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WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-860919741757395822013-08-13T20:19:00.002-07:002013-08-13T20:19:35.099-07:00Charlie is SEVEN months old<div style="text-align: center;">
I realize that this place has been dead lately. As usual in the summer, we are OUT! But Charlie Baylor is changing quickly and just (actually two weeks ago) turned 7 months old. Here's what's up with him these days: </div>
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He had his 6 month check up in July and was in the 95th percentile for height, weight, and head circumference. He's a big boy, but he is full of laughs, smiles, and so much joy. </div>
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Although I tried some solids with him over the last couple months, it was just recently that Charlie started eating solids. And boy is he eating them! He actually much prefers mashed food on a spoon to his regular bottle. His favorites are sweet potatoes, peaches, and yogurt. Boy has a sweet tooth. I've had to mix some of the less sweet foods (green beans for instance) with pears or peaches to get him to take them. I've noticed that he is a much less messy eater than Savannah was. That's a little nice. </div>
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Charlie had a ROUGH first few months. But he really has become fairly easy going. He lets us take him anywhere. He goes with it when we force him to skip naps. And he'll eat on the go if need be. Isn't he pretty?</div>
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Other new things: </div>
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Sleeping three naps a day, but unswaddled now. </div>
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He's also able to roll from back to front, but only seems to do it in his crib when he's trying to not sleep. </div>
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He stands up for long periods of time holding on to things. And he can pull himself up sometimes. </div>
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He loves to dig. Cupboards, boxes, drawers, laundry baskets...get it all out boy!</div>
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We are so thankful and grateful for this guy. Not that we wouldn't be anyway, but I think those really hard to take days have made all our good days with him so much sweeter. </div>
WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-53431768642906933342013-07-17T11:41:00.000-07:002013-07-17T11:41:19.506-07:00We be full swing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I realized that I haven't really posted anything about how fully into summer we are around here! </div>
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So yes, we've been at the lake and on the boat. And yes, we've been to the pool. And yes, we put up the pool in our yard. And yes, We are so so so happy that it's HOT!</div>
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I was a little nervous about being able to enjoy summer with Charlie still being so tiny. Savannah's first summer we didn't do much. But she was born in May and much less drag aroundable. Charlie is catching on - even taking real length naps on the boat! No one really wants a caption for each picture, so just imagine - take it in - and know that we are LOVING IT!</div>
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<br />WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-53427608253994746142013-07-17T11:02:00.005-07:002013-07-17T11:02:50.298-07:00Another great adventure in OK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We had another really good visit down in Oklahoma a couple weeks ago. This was Charlie's first real vacation / long trip. Weighing in at 6 months old - he did awesome. He traveled well, slept okay, and was generally really enjoyable. Savannah was, as always, a great trooper, a super helpful big sister, and we couldn't be more glad that she's ours! </div>
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Travis' parents have some friends that were away for the week and they let us stay at their house...with a pool!! Savannah was up by 6:30am every day and in the pool by 8am. She swam for at least 3 hours a day. She is a fish! Charlie enjoyed pool side seating with the rest of the family. </div>
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Here's the brothers working out together, pool side. Like a resort or something. </div>
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Another great high light was getting to spend an evening at a friend's ranch. We roasted hot dogs and s'mores, rode on horses, and played on their zip line!</div>
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And there was this. It was funny watching the girls learn how to use a gas pedal and a break for the first time. </div>
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Savannah did not love the zip line at first. I was lucky enough to get this picture of her scolding Travis for making her do it. She was pretty upset. About an hour later she got over it and wanted to go again, with much more success. </div>
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Savannah's cousins, Lani and Maggie, are some of her favorite people to spend time with. We are really blessed that we enjoy spending time with our family. </div>
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Our last night there we went to a carnival. I took Savannah on The Scrambler ride. She was really excited and then suddenly buried her head in to me and begged for it to end. Luckily those rides are really short, but it wasn't a great first experience on the big rides. Whoops. </div>
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<br />WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-69873533056710696552013-06-17T18:03:00.001-07:002013-06-17T18:03:21.821-07:00Why did God do that? Babies.<div>Today (thursday) was our second day in a trip that Travis and I are getting lead in Minneapolis with some of our high schoolers. The trip consists of us joining in with several local ministries to show and share the love of Christ with people in the city. This morning we went to a place where they had a kids club going on at a near by park and also a ladies day happening at the center. Our group was asked to play with and love the kids at the park. We were ready to go when one of the staffers asked if one or two of us might stay back in the nursery to help with the ladie's small children and babies. I immediately knew I should. Maybe it was because I'm missing my own baby, or because I'm the only adult female or because the Holy Spirit prompted me ((likely all three), but this kinda thig is not in my big of tricks - or so I thought. 6 months ago, having to stay back and help with the smallest ones would have ruined my day, and possibly this trip for me. Especially when it ended up being a small room with 20 small kids and 5 babies and 4 adults - of which I was the oldest, most confident, and most experienced with kids. **enter long sigh and internal eye rolling **</div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-H98lYwNfffY/Ub-x1y8VRXI/AAAAAAAADTg/7IttGb7IYHo/s640/blogger-image--1884402229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-H98lYwNfffY/Ub-x1y8VRXI/AAAAAAAADTg/7IttGb7IYHo/s640/blogger-image--1884402229.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So what's this post all about? Was it the life shattering experience I had always known it to be? No! God was SO faithful! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As the day went on, one baby at a time would have an inconsolable fit. No one else could do a thing to settle their poor souls. Each time I had not only the experience, but the patience and the intuition to take that child and calm them almost instantly - half the time just putting them to sleep. What?? This is the power of James 1:1 at work. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"Consider it PURE JOY when you face trials of many kinda because you know that the testing of your faith developes perserverance." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I was prepared for such a day as this. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I am so thankful for all those days and nights of working with Charlie, listening to Charlie, and mostly, praying that God would have purpose and use for those times. In one new (but not complete way) he has again made me a new creation. </div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0yVandTBknU/Ub6Bg7puIUI/AAAAAAAADS4/ccgj9brn3lw/s640/blogger-image--1060020328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0yVandTBknU/Ub6Bg7puIUI/AAAAAAAADS4/ccgj9brn3lw/s640/blogger-image--1060020328.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eD5HsR2hdFI/Ub6B6MBs-FI/AAAAAAAADTA/eLwWsWntMe4/s640/blogger-image--991136623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eD5HsR2hdFI/Ub6B6MBs-FI/AAAAAAAADTA/eLwWsWntMe4/s640/blogger-image--991136623.jpg"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0yVandTBknU/Ub6Bg7puIUI/AAAAAAAADS4/ccgj9brn3lw/s640/blogger-image--1060020328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mjy-tC_E2VA/Ub6BcqHbpCI/AAAAAAAADSw/c_jBHEct9vE/s640/blogger-image--182524719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mjy-tC_E2VA/Ub6BcqHbpCI/AAAAAAAADSw/c_jBHEct9vE/s640/blogger-image--182524719.jpg"></a></div></div>WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-80060956785310443762013-06-09T20:00:00.001-07:002013-06-10T12:10:24.890-07:00What annoys me about kid parties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Have you ever looked at kid's birthday parties on Pinterest? They are seriously dumb. </div>
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I mean, isn't a Birthday party supposed to be geared at who's ever birthday it is? Come on moms - get with it. </div>
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Let me comment on some things I've seen from a kids perspective: </div>
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I'm so glad my mom spent all day laying out this dessert table because I DID NOT want to play with her. I was mostly concerned that the table would look excellent - and that we would have several options of desserts because cake isn't enough and everyone knows that. </div>
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And I really like the antiques my mom incorporated here. I'm turning 4 *yeah, this is from a FOUR YEAR OLD PARTY* and I'm super into trunks and old glass doors. I'm glad I don't like to run around and crash into them. And the gift bags up by the glass windows was genius because no one would ever try to reach up to get one and fall into a window! </div>
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My mom did all glass for my birthday for environmental reasons. And that's cool because we all like it when adults constantly yell at us to slow down and watch out because we're running around with glass mason jars. I also like paper straws a lot because they kind of melt in my mouth and I can swallow them. Plastic straws are all sturdy and last all morning. </div>
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I wanted to play, but instead my mom spent all afternoon sewing up pouches of crayons that my friends will just throw into their box of other crayons. No one will appreciate the pouch thing with the special tag on top, but I sure appreciated it when my mom was stressed to get dinner ready because she worked on this all day! </div>
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When I was one, my mom made this ultra boring, brown hats. I don't like colors anyway. I'm one, and everyone knows that kids like neutral colors. </div>
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Other kid party pet peeves: </div>
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- Labeling food. Yeah, I know those are cookies and kids can't read anyway. No need to make special food signs. Kids don't care and adults can figure it out. </div>
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- Crazy expensive / designed invitations. Everyone just looks at the date, writes it down, and throws the invite away, right? I know it made you feel awesome when you spend $12.99 on 25 pictures of your kid to mail out, but come on. No one kept it. </div>
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In all - how about you just skip all the theatrics and spend time hanging/playing/ and loving on your kids. THAT is what they will remember and love you for. Forget the "theme". Forget "pulling it all together". Pinterest creates unreal expectations sometimes and our kids don't need that. They need moms. They need fun. They need to be kids. </div>
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<br>WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-22122952163116825542013-06-09T19:29:00.001-07:002013-06-09T19:29:08.889-07:00Pinnin!!! Winnin!!<div style="text-align: center;">
Well here we are. Another edition of Pinterest wins and fails. Before I start in to the good stuff, I just want to say a little something about this. On Mother's Day our church was gracious enough to lead us through Proverbs 31 - Be a Godly mom. Watch it <a href="http://cornerstonelife.com/mediaplayer?vid=809">HERE</a> or below if you want. It was great! Jeff issued a challenge to the woman of our church to take a 30 day fast from social media and start DOING some of the projects they've pinned. After that service a handful of people stopped me and said that they thought of me because of my pinterest posts - they commended me for being industrious. Well let me tell you - I sure do make a point to act on a lot of the things I pin, but there are about 5000 things on there for every 1 thing I have completed. Oh, boy, do I spend my fair share of time with social media. But if my pinning and winning inspires someone to spend their time more wisely, then go for it! But don't be thinking I'm some super industrious, know what I'm doing, kind of person. I have friends like that. I admire that. </div>
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So here we are - the latest: </div>
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<a href="http://www.ladybirdln.com/2011/05/my-dirty-secret-revealed.html">DIAPERS IN HANGING BASKETS</a></div>
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Travis says I have to wait on this one to see if it really works or not, but I think it's fine. Savannah and I potted some plants and hanging baskets. We put diapers in the bottom - the idea is that the gel in the diaper helps hold in the moisture in so they don't dry out so quick hanging up there flapping in the wind. I'm pretty excited about this one because I LOVE hanging baskets! We'll see. I bought a HUGE beautiful fern this year. We also put a mixture of sugar and Epsom salt in each plant to help them grow big and strong (1/4 sugar : 1 salt ratio). </div>
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<a href="http://www.theyummylife.com/Oatmeal_Smoothies">MAKE AHEAD SMOOTHIES</a></div>
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These have saved my life lately! How many days have I tried to get us all fed and out of the house only to leave late or completely miss out on eating myself!? So many. That's the answer. Nothing makes me more frustrated then driving to church and realizing that my breakfast is sitting on the counter still waiting for me. And I love a good smoothie! So I found these recipes for make aheads. You make them, let them sit for a day in the fridge, then put them in the freezer. Put it back in the fridge the night before when you know you have a crazy morning coming up. What's awesome about this is A.They have Chia seeds. I'm just now getting into these so I don't know all the benefits, but I do know that they help thicken the whole thing up real good. B. They have oatmeal, which keeps you full forever and if you blend that first you don't even know it's there. and C. You make a bunch at one time (I doubled it) so you use the whole can of coconut milk (or whatever you use) at once and you don't have to throw half away or figure out how to save it. </div>
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Here's my version down by the sausages. </div>
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Barbie Hair Shop</div>
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I saw this in a couple of places, so I'm not posting a link because I'm not sold. By the second day of Savannah's summer vacation it became clear that we needed some activities, so I'm making a goal to have one "structured" thing we do each day. She has a ton of dolls with snarled hair, and that bothers me for whatever reason, so we started there. One website said to have a spray bottle with 2TBS liquid fabric softener and the rest water and use it like leave in conditioner. That worked for some of them and it did smell good. Another website said to submerge the hair in hot water for a few seconds then comb it - that didn't really work. We got most of the girls hair combed and styled. (sorry about the nakey girl on the left) This is the place where the girls with long hair waited for the fashion show after. There was also a station for short hair girls and one for Ponies. I'm curious to see if this makes their hair over all easier to comb out. </div>
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Arrows in shoes / GAME CHANGER!</div>
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This is simple. Put an arrow pointing inward inside all of your kids shoes so they can get them on the correct feet. Did this with permanent marker in all of Savannah's shoes the other day and this morning she said "Momma, thank you for putting arrows in my shoes so I can do it right by myself". The proof is in the pudding on this one. HUGE WIN!</div>
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Drinks in Mason Jars</div>
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Actually, the Pins I had were all about having jars (like in the picture) with drinks for parties. I've just been mixing my own drinks at home (like a John Collins - best drink ever), popping the lid on, and taking it with me to cook outs and stuff. Especially if it's BOYB because I just don't do beer. But we've also been using them for smoothies and all kinds of stuff. Mason Jars. Get with the times bro. </div>
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Hope you're getting some ideas here. I'm sure the next couple of weeks have plenty to offer. Of friend of mine said tonight "I think Pinterest is one of the most practical things I do" - I definitely agree!</div>
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<br />WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-7122829999309667432013-06-05T19:17:00.003-07:002013-06-05T19:17:55.127-07:00The Colic Chronicles - and Charlie is 5 months old!<div style="text-align: center;">
Our little Charlie Baylor is now 5 months old! </div>
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And you know what came in his 5th month? The end to all the uncomfortable crying that we had all been living through! I thought maybe today I would log our journey with the unexpected and overwhelming - since we're **hopefully** out of the woods and I can think clearly on it! But first some pictures. Can you even believe this cute smile was so sad for so long? </div>
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Charlie's new things: Playing constantly in the exersaucer, Sleeping with one are out of his swaddle blanket, and sleeping on a schedule.</div>
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(why is this sideways? Who cares, that's what I say!)</div>
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So if you made it this far then you wanted to know about the colic, right? </div>
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I used to think that if you just followed "the schedule" that your baby would be predictable and sleep. We started Savannah on a Sleep/Eat/Wake schedule when she was like a week old and by 9 weeks she was sleeping through the night and I could tell you almost to the minute exactly when she would sleep, eat, and how to meet her needs. It was awesome. So when Charlie came along, God decided to humble me. He probably knew this was our last go at having a baby around so He had to strike hard. </div>
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For the first few weeks Charlie was a pretty mellow baby. Savannah was ms Crazypants from day one, and he was obviously more chill. When he was about 3 weeks old he came down with a respiratory infection. I think it hurt me way more than it hurt him. That began our string of excuses. </div>
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Charlie fusses and cries a lot: It's because he's tired of coughing.</div>
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Charlie fusses and cries a lot: It's because he has so much drainage. </div>
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Charlie fusses and Cries a lot: He probably has gas from coughing....</div>
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a month later....</div>
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Is he teething? Maybe it's his formula. Yeah - let's try Soy formula, that worked for Savannah!</div>
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Charlie pukes Soy formula everywhere. </div>
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He's probably just tired....?</div>
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By the time he was 2 1/2 months old he was still waking up 2-3 times a night to eat and about 5 times in between just to be comforted. And the day wasn't much better. He'd sleep for 20 minutes, or 2 hours, or not at all. And evenings were marked by lots. of. crying. </div>
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I was at a loss. One day I tried to go back to my morning Bible study, but after having to leave several times I just decided to sit in the foyer. It was then that my AMAZING pediatrician friend came out to feed her son (the same age) and just asked "how's it goin?" I broke down in tears. Trying to squeeze them back wasn't working so I just let it go and explained to her all the sleepless nights and restless days we had been through. She was so kind. So understanding. She hooked us up with some formula samples of Antimonium formula. The stuff is like $35 a can and smells like you wouldn't believe! I was actually very relieved when a week later there was no change in his behavior. </div>
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My friend was good to help me remember what was reasonable to expect from a baby his age. And to help us figure out what WASN'T wrong, and then she told me - this is colic. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The strict medical definition of colic is </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">a condition of a healthy baby in which it shows periods of intense, unexplained fussing/crying lasting more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week for more than 3 weeks.</i><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_colic#cite_note-5" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[</a></sup></div>
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Basically she helped us know that this was life. So instead of working our butts off to "fix" whatever this was, we could start learning how to cope. It was a relief. We knew at that point that all bets were off. No more trying to fit him into our box. No more trying to make him stop. Just cope. </div>
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I found that when a baby is "colicky" that wrapping them tightly and holding them on their stomach with a pacifier held in their mouth is commonly soothing. We also found that where gas drops helped Savannah, grip water was Charlie's choice of medicine. We think it's because the gripe water is loaded with sugar and it gave him a little high. There was a time when we were going through two big bottles of the stuff a week. That's $20 a week of gripe water. But it calmed him..if even for 10 minutes. We'd all sit in his room and sing to him, through the crying. Sometimes we'd just put him in his crib and let him cry so we could love on Savannah alone. Whatever it takes to get through it! That was the theme. </div>
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God was actually incredibly gracious in that Charlie always seemed to calm down and let me work/meet with people when I needed to. But never for longer than an hour. </div>
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Savannah was great through the whole thing. She would remind us "He's crying to tell us what he needs". One time I found her asleep in her room with headphones on. And only every once in a great while she'd say "CHARLIE! STOP!" But then she'd be fine. Just had to get it out. </div>
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Fast forward to 4 1/2 months old. I don't know what clicked, accept age, but the guy started straightening up! He stopped fussing so much and started sleeping more. But then it was clear that mr fussface had become prince charming - and when I say prince, I mean royalty. The bugger was so used to us waiting on his every need that he'd whine if I didn't hold him 90% of the day. He'd sleep for 20 minutes, then up for 30, then sleep for 40, then up for 2 hours, then sleep for 45.... you get my drift. At 5 months old we started the schedule. The Cry It Out, now YOU deal with it, schedule. It only took about 3 days of intense crying and guess what!?! You aren't going to believe this. Two weeks later, after month of what we would describe as hell, CHARLIE IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! And during the day he is totally predictable! An hour and a half awake, and hour and half asleep, and then I wake him up and he eats. And I always know. And he doesn't cry and scream! Hardly EVER!!!! </div>
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Whew! </div>
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I love baby Charlie. And now, he's making it easier, funner, and that chubby little boy has captured our hearts. One friend told me about her and her "rough" kid. She said that it bonded them because they went through the trenches together. I agree. We did it. He's 5 1/2 months old and we have climbed mountains together! </div>
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WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-20750840369777260722013-05-30T13:18:00.001-07:002013-05-30T13:18:09.310-07:00Savannah's "party themed" party<div style="text-align: center;">
Savannah had been planning her birthday party for about a year. Sometimes it was going to be a super hero party where everyone dresses up like heros and we shoot bad guys. Other times it was a princess and prince party where we all dress like royalty and dance like at a ball. And other days it was a pirate theme, or a pony theme, or a musketeer theme, or a mermaid/ocean theme. Each one with extensive details on what everyone wears and what we do. Travis was playing along and dreaming with all of this, but me being the realist in the family could not. So when we finally went shopping for invitations for Savannah's party, you can imagine how relived I was when I convinced her that we should have a "party" theme for her party. We got cupcake themed invites and glittery party hats. I told her we could do all kinds of games and any kind of cake. It worked! </div>
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It was raining on the day of her party, but that didn't stop the 11 kiddos and 9 adults from partying on. We had a piñata (and yep, someone got hit with the bat), and we played a few other games. Then we had some cake. The kids had gotten these funny face glasses from the piñata and Savannah insisted on leaving hers on the rest of the party. She served all her friends cake, telling each one "My name is Craig" or "My name is Charlson". Guess she felt like my dad in those things :) They were all cracking up the whole time. She really values being funny. </div>
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The last game we played was "throw water balloons at the dad". This is a classic for birthdays in our family. On my 5th birthday we had just moved into a new house and I guess my dad didn't have much time to plan (or so the legend goes) so he just got a bunch of water balloons and let us throw them at him. I still remember that as one of my fondest childhood memories. So even though it was cold and rainy, Travis manned up and let the kids throw balloons at him. My dad had to get into the game too - kind of a way to pass on the torch. </div>
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Thanks everyone that came and thanks everyone for loving on our sweet Savannah for another year! </div>
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WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-85121543543144328382013-05-28T09:05:00.003-07:002013-05-28T09:05:24.576-07:00The day she turned five<div style="text-align: center;">
So I'm a few days behind here. Big weekend! You were probably checking my blog every day for updates, weren't you. Nah - you were having a great weekend too! </div>
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It happened. My baby girl turned FIVE. I have told her over and over that she will always be my baby - which usually ends up with me breaking into song doing my best Mariah Carey. </div>
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Savannah had school on her Birthday this year. She loved that she did. She brought Zebra cakes (by her request) because she knew all her friends would like them. I went in to see her during her recess and she was having a blast. Some people would be bummed that they had school on their Birthday but this girl loves school so much that she'd rather have it that way! </div>
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(The picture is her running away from her two friends. They play monster every day. )</div>
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Last year we started a new tradition of birthday photo shoot. Having an iphone that takes great pictures and has awesome editing options makes this easy. </div>
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Anyway, I noticed that she was much more serious about the whole thing this year. Maybe because it was later in the day and she was a little tired, but partly because she's starting to have more sense of what she likes and her image. It was only a matter of time before it happened. We are trying to teach her to not take herself seriously. Growing up in this house you just can't! </div>
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After the big shoot we went to dinner at Hickory Park. She wanted pink pop and ice cream. They sang their Birthday song to her. She was kind of funny about that this year. Every time people sang to her she got kind of embarrassed. She told me it made her shy. I understand. It's hard to know how to respond to that. </div>
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Oh, and look who sat in a high chair for the first time? Charlie baby loved Savannah's Birthday too. He loves loves loves her already. They both look a little grumpy here, but it was a rare moment. We had her party a few days later so I'll post on that later. Makes me a little to sentimental to post it all at once! </div>
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WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-985812673705041082013-05-20T13:15:00.000-07:002013-05-20T13:15:34.138-07:00Can you even believe it!??<div style="text-align: center;">
THIS GIRL IS TURNING FIVE TOMORROW!!!!!</div>
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My sweet little Savannah girl is such a big kid. We are so blessed by having her in our lives. </div>
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She's so creative and hilarious to be with. Not to mention she keeps things interesting. We never know what kind of out fit or costume will come down the stairs next!</div>
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For her Birthday we have a big PALOOZA (as my friend Laura would say :) </div>
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Birthday party with some family tonight, Birthday dinner at BK tomorrow and bringing treats to school tomorrow, Grammy and Poppy arrive on Wednesday, and a big birthday bash with HER friends from SCHOOL (eeekkk!) Saturday. I'll keep ya posted on all that as we go!</div>
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What a wonderful girl we have!</div>
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WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-67456862851970300952013-05-10T10:52:00.000-07:002013-05-10T11:14:43.180-07:00GiverWe recently started paying Savannah for doing small chores around the house. She can earn 25 or 50 cents at a time depending on the chore. When she gets them done she has a little magnet board we keep track of them on. I saw the whole deal on Pinterest - it's working out great. She gets paid about once a week and the most I have paid her at one time is $2.50. When she wants something now - like candy or dumb toys or stuff at garage sales - we are trying to make her spend her own money. <br>
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A couple weeks ago our church took an offering. This has never been done in Cornerstone history! We asked Savannah if she wanted to participate and she was pretty excited. She ran to her money box (a pink princess plastic container) and got out HALF of her money. It was only 4 quarters, but all she knows at this point was that she had 8 moneys, and she wanted to give 4. <br>
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A couple days later I remembered that we still needed to send money to our friend for her missions trip to India. Savannah had asked me something about being rich - like she thought it was a really bad thing to be rich. I explained to her that it's okay to be rich, just not greedy. I don't remember the conversation (I'm sure it was incredibly spirit lead and impressive) but we ended with her wanting to send money to our friend for her trip to India too. So I told Savannah she could give whatever she wanted. She went to her money box and got out 6 quarters - leaving herself with 3.<div><br></div><div>I was really proud of her for so easily giving so much both times and was beginning to be challenged by her generosity. The. I thought "we'll of course she can give so much. She knows her parents will always make sure she has everything she needs - and still get her some of the things she wants. What does she have to worry about?"</div><div><br></div><div>And then it hits me - childlike faith. There it is again. Thank You Jesus for continuing to use this girl to teach me your ways and your heart. May I have the same faith in You, the King of the universe and my Father, that she has in me, a sinful creation! <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5Fu-j1TG4nI/UY05EYvvdrI/AAAAAAAADM8/9wyPOW5nMWY/s640/blogger-image--303025952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5Fu-j1TG4nI/UY05EYvvdrI/AAAAAAAADM8/9wyPOW5nMWY/s640/blogger-image--303025952.jpg"></a></div></div>WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-20637828712118273552013-05-01T12:26:00.001-07:002013-05-01T12:26:25.490-07:00The girl<br />
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Now, Charlie is constantly changing and growing, but we can't let him have all the blog love! </div>
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Savannah is going to be five this month - she's so so so much fun! I think these pictures say a lot.</div>
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She is pretty thrilled with herself for being able to go down poles all by herself. I'm pretty thrilled too. It's kind of awkward standing under the pole helping her do it. </div>
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She dresses herself every day. She's pretty creative. </div>
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Another first this year - pumping on the swings completely alone. She can get on, get going, and keep going for a LOOOONG time. All by herself!</div>
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I think she took this one by herself. I don't know why that face :) </div>
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Other note worth Savisms: Loving super heroes right now. We watch Xmen almost every day. She'd love to have a super hero birthday party. Savannah dresses herself up like a super hero almost every day. It's always a different outfit though. She is talking a lot about cutting her hair short - but we're going to sit on that for a while. </div>
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This is her - always finding something new to do where ever she is. </div>
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WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-61031569772977322292013-05-01T12:14:00.002-07:002013-05-01T12:14:45.545-07:00Four big months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Charlie Baylor Pierce turned 4 months old this week! Crazy! Relieving! There is something momentous about his being 4 months old now - I feel like we can all relax a little. He can sit up in a baby chair and hold his head up by himself. He can grab toys from in front of him and put them in his mouth. He can lay looking at something for several minutes straight. So much independence! And boy does he laugh a lot!</div>
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We had his 4 month check up and here's the stats: </div>
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15.10 pounds (52%), 25 inches long (45%) and I don't remember how big his head is, but it's in the 72nd percentile for his age :)</div>
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Here's our monthly monkey picture: not quite as adorable as last month but they can't all be winners. </div>
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Look at the chubs on those legs!</div>
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Here's something noteworthy - we were given the okay to start giving him rice cereal so we did! It's pretty optional at this age, but since we've had so much trouble with him as it is, we thought it was worth a try. He loved it. So much that at dinner he was getting visibly upset watching US eat and not giving him any. AND....are you ready for this? HE DIDN'T EAT ALL NIGHT! He slept from 10:30pm until 6:10am!!!! First time ever! It could be the cereal, or the probiotics kicking in, or the fact that we were outside almost all day yesterday or maybe the vaccines messing with him. But we'll take it. BIG FINGERS CROSSED!!!! Let's do THAT again!</div>
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<br />WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829449437643402596.post-50039272492536287872013-04-15T13:58:00.002-07:002013-04-17T07:36:22.360-07:00Sup-dateWant to know what's 'Sup with us? Craziness! That's what!<div><br />
</div><div>- Charlie is ... almost 4 months old. I don't count weeks anymore. No one (besides doctors) really cares how many weeks your kid is. If you go by months they get a general idea. He may be like 15 weeks now? I should probably figure that out. Anyway, he had his first ear infection last week. I've seen enough of those before that I knew what was up so I got him to the doctor quick! I think it's all better now. Being sick caused him to sleep more and heavier for a few days and he's actually been sleeping a little better since. I'm kinda hoping that the sickness "reset" him in terms of sleeping and crying. He still isn't sleeping through the night, but he is doing much longer stretches between eating. However, we are still waking up 4-7 times a night to resettle him and put that darn pacifier in his mouth! At four months (in a couple weeks) we will officially start sleep training - or the "cry it out" method as some call it. It'll be rough, but I look so forward to him being able to self soothe! </div><div><br />
</div><div>- Savannah is amazing. She has been so patient, helpful, encouraging, and delightful. I thought she was a gift before we had Charlie, but now I know she is the most amazing gift we could have been given in a daughter. One great thing I am noticing about her more and more is that she never lies. She is becoming a very trustworthy girl. Every so often she gets wrong ideas, or even a little confused - and like a lot of us, she is convinced that what she believes to be true is true. That seems like lying, but actually, it's just ignorance and we're all guilty of that at some point. </div><div><br />
</div><div>- Travis got his motorcycle running last weekend. If you didn't hear, he got this older motorcycle from a friend last fall and road it for a couple weeks and then it got way too cold. He took the bike out last weekend one day ( think it was like 50 degrees out) and he came back freezing! Seems that the air gets to be about 20 degrees colder when you're going 40 miles an hour. We're all tired of the cold weather here, but that motorcycle in the drive way is just taunting him! </div><div><br />
</div><div>- I've been busier lately. I started working more hours at church. We're in a weird time of transition in our ministry. Our high school pastor is heading out in June to plant a church in Cedar Falls, IA and our new guy doesn't start until a couple weeks after that. Lately I have gotten to spend a lot of time meeting with all kinds of high school girls, leaders, potential leaders, and potential interns. In June Travis and I are leading a trip with some students to Minneapolis for a few days. Another reason we'd like Charlie to sleep better - so he doesn't give my parents so much grief when we're away! And did I mention that I picked now to start running again? </div><div><br />
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I just noticed that I never posted this. I've seen people on instagram using the term "latergram" - so here's my "laterblog" from about two weeks ago. </div>
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We had fun celebrating Easter again. It's really my favorite Holiday. I think because the older I get the more I realize my need for a savior. He DIED. Completely. And on Easter, he defeated Satan's power over me! We should celebrate Pentecost too. I think that might be my favorite too - if we celebrated it. </div>
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The last couple years we have done this count down to Easter thing with Savannah. Starting 12 days before, Savannah gets to open up an Easter egg that has something in it representing a story about Jesus. We read the story to her and talk about it as a family. It's been so fun for all of us to remember how great Jesus' presence on earth was. And how far his power extended. </div>
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This is Savannah praying on the 11th day. Love it when she prays. </div>
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Here's our kids on Easter day. They're cute. </div>
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Savannah was trying to "help" Charlie smile. </div>
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I always try to get a good picture of us on Easter - when we're all actually dressed up. But this year was another fail. Come on people. Savannah says she was making some super hero face. I guess this is what our family really is :) </div>
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Yo guys - check me out! Easter stud. </div>
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So for this special Easter breakfast I reheated pancakes from the day before (because Saturday is the only day I might ever have the chance to actually cook breakfast) and garnished it with strawberries and yogurt covered raisins. The one ear that is missing is the only part of the pancake Savannah actually ate.</div>
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Our church is great. Always. I doubt you will ever hear me complain about the services at our church. </div>
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No pictures for the rest of the day, but we spent it at my parents house stuffing our faces with Easter ham and then not really doing much. Rest is worshipful too. But that's a blog for another day. </div>
WendyPiercehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067256961268749701noreply@blogger.com0