Tag Archives: Reed

Everyday Life, Photography

Remembering 2012

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2012 was a big year for our family! There were a lot of tears, but also a lot of joy as we welcomed Gus into our family. The  first few pictures are very Gus-centric, but it was a very Gus-centric year!

This picture wasn’t taken in 2012, but the first time I saw it was in January 2012. It is an absolute favorite of mine.
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The first time we met our sweet boy, in February 2012:
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In March, we sent Gus a package with some friends of ours. And it included some pictures from Reed and Lena. I actually re-took this picture with shoes on, but this is my favorite.

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In April, I got one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten… pictures of our boy taken just hours before! It gave me some much-needed hope!

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May 2012, we truly hadn’t seen Gus’s real personality before the day we passed court!

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June 2012, Reed and Lena’s first beach trip! “That’s a really big lake!” -R.

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July 2012, this boy had my heart the moment I picked him up.

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August 2012, Reed’s first day of school. He was so excited!

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In September, Lola came to visit!
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October 2012. This was probably my favorite month of the year, although July was really wonderful, too. We got to spend a lot of time as a family, including our short trip to Colorado, which was a lot of fun. We have lots of fun pictures from home, Colorado and Halloween from October and it’s hard for me to pick! But, a family portrait wins!

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November 2012. In sharp contrast to October, November was definitely not a favorite of mine. However, this picture, and the ones that went with it were fun!

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December 2012, this is easy!

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“I think the beauty of twinkle lights is a perfect metaphor for joy.

Joy is not a constant.  It comes to us in moments – often ordinary moments.  Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy because we’re too busy chasing down the extraordinary moments.  Other times we’re so afraid of the dark that we don’t dare let ourselves enjoy the light.

A joyful life is not a floodlight of joy.  That would eventually become unbearable.

I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, and inspiration.”

-Brene Brown

Everyday Life

A Snow Day and a Bad Hair Day

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Today was Reed’s first snow day. We woke up to a few inches this morning and no school!

And, during our lazy day at home, this happened…
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The horrible self hair cut.

Anyways, on to fun pictures…

Our weather was a beautiful 60 degrees on Tuesday…
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Now it is…

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And that’s exactly how I feel about it.

His papa handed over his own gloves, since Gus doesn’t have any of his own.
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Tonight, I took her to get her hair cut. I realized I had never asked her why she cut her hair, and she told me “To look like you.” “You really cut your hair to look like me?” “Yes.” Oh, I melted. Any disappointment I had about it disappeared, knowing she wanted to be like me.

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At this point, when she rested her face up against me, I realized she was burning up. Poor girl is sick. I’m thankful for our wonderful nurse and doctor friends who have kept me from panicking. We will see how she’s doing in the morning and have a better idea of what’s going on and what she needs.

Everyday Life

My Pair of Fives

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Today begins the 29 days when I have 2 5 year olds! It’s Lena’s 5th birthday!
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If you know them in real life, you know how true this picture is!

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We went to get our Christmas tree. We went to a park that allows you to cut down a red cedar, an invasive species here. It was pretty fun– wandering around in cedars with the kids asking “What about this one?”

But, lest you think it was too fun…
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Someone was mad that his daddy was busy with the tree and couldn’t carry him. He had to settle for me instead, which was NOT okay.

Lena went out on a little date with her papa this afternoon, while Reed and I got her present ready.  I decided that he had to help me set it up and wrap it after he found out what she was getting and nearly spoiled the surprise for her. I think it may be a new tradition to have the kids help out with their siblings’ presents, because it was a lot of fun and helped him feel more involved in her birthday.
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It was fun to watch her unwrap a present bigger than she is. And to see all of her delight over it!

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When I first asked her what kind of cake she wanted, she told me “a Lena cake!” Later, she told me, a chocolate cake. So, I decided on a chocolate Lena cake.

We had some friends over for dinner and cake. It had been awhile since we had seen them and we had a great time.

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After our company left, and Gus was in bed, Lena asked me “can I play for just a few more minutes, please? …two minutes, please?” It was already past her bedtime, but she was so sweet and so happy, so she got a timer for 15 more minutes. They got an extra bedtime story too… we just had to read her 2 new books. “Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?” and “Llama Llama Holiday Drama.”

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Happy birthday, sweet Lena! We love you and we are so happy to be your parents. We had a great time celebrating you today!

ETA: Sorry about the photos not working earlier– they should be now. They always show up fine for me, so I never know until someone comments to tell me.