tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53761359160142632412024-02-19T10:08:38.227-05:00365 Days of Everything GeorgiaJaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.comBlogger590125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-15046899764662489652013-11-08T21:46:00.002-05:002013-11-08T21:46:25.803-05:00She Missed Her 75th BirthdayWe lost her to kidney cancer six months ago - today would have been my grandmother's 75th birthday. I miss her so and will always appreciate the lessons she taught me.
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In honor of my grandmother, a few of my favorite pictures of her.
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We love you!Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-43671392475549492412013-11-06T01:02:00.000-05:002013-11-06T01:02:38.995-05:00Duh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh... duh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh...... BATGIRL... and Robin (aka daddy)!!
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Mommy made an appearance too... dressed as ::drumroll:: MOMMY!
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Trick-or-treating happens on my dinner break every year, since Halloween falls on one of the sacred TV news days in the ratings period. But that's OK, we still have so much fun walking through our neighborhood, going door to door, and watching our shy little one get bolder and bolder with each doorbell she rings. She still whispers though when anyone asks her a question.
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Shy or not, our Batgirl certainly came home with a lot of sweets!
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I hope you all had a Happy Halloween!!Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-58100008360329188222013-11-04T00:13:00.000-05:002013-11-04T00:13:46.092-05:00The Little ChefI must admit, Georgia really surprised and impressed the heck out of me the other night. She really woke me up to the fact that I don't have her all figured out, and that sometimes, this mommy just needs to step back and watch what my little one can do instead of thinking I know what she's capable of doing.
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It's not uncommon for Georgia to help me out in the kitchen when I'm cooking. I usually assign her the "stir this" or "dump that into there" duties. But tonight, I figured I'd let her take on a bigger duty, and boy did she impress! I showed her how to dip a fish strip in the egg, and then told her to pass it to me for the breading. But she refused to give it to me after the egg bath, which I started to think was just her four year old stubbornness coming through... but then she proceeded to show me she could bread the fish strip too and lay it nice and straight on the pan. And she proceeded to do this perfectly with every fish strip.
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Her smile says it all.
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My how I love this girl. Lesson learned: step back and watch before I make assumptions. This little one is growing up fast.Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-8892021383490627872013-11-03T23:57:00.000-05:002013-11-04T00:01:06.733-05:00Just to Make You Smile.Here's my crazy girl.
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That's her Halloween candy bucket on her head... if you couldn't tell.
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Yep, that's my girl!
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We spent the week of Georgia's 4th birthday at the most magical place on earth!!! (and after viewing the week through my daughter's eyes, I do believe it IS the most magical place) Now, the fact that I have a four-year-old daughter could be a blog post all to itself - holy crap, where did those four years go? - but I'll stick to the highlights of our trip and some of the observations of a person who has not been to Disney World in more than 15 years. We did four parks in five days, one day at each and two days at the Magical Kingdom, which (no surprise) was my daughter's favorite. We also were in on the test phase of the magic bands. Don't know what those are? I'll get to that in a bit.
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First day, the Magical Kingdom for my daughter's 4th birthday. We got there before the park opened because we had 8:15 a.m. reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table inside the castle. It was very expensive for a breakfast but worth every penny because my daughter dressed up like a princess (Cinderella somehow knew what hotel room we were staying in and left a dress, tiara and wand - hee, hee, hee) and loved going into Cinderella's castle! If you ever do it, I HIGHLY recommend the reservations before the park's 9 a.m. opening (as long as there are no early magic hours). You'll have to reserve it about 180 days out during busy times, and you'll have to set your alarm for about 6 a.m., but it was amazing to walk through the park with no one there! Perfect way to start our trip and my daughter's birthday. She met Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and had a special chocolate slipper dessert. So what if it was 9-something in the morning -- it was her birthday so chocolate was in order!!
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Her first ride ever at Walt Disney World - the carousel.
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My daughter's favorite ride at the Magical Kingdom - Big Thunder Mountain. I have a speed demon on my hands, folks. Watch out when she turns 16!
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We ended our first magical day with a birthday dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern and a Minnie Mouse birthday cake. Yes, you can order a special cake through Walt Disney World and have it delivered to your table. And no, it's not cheap, but it was tasty!
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Some of our favorites at the Magic Kingdom: It's a Small World, Big Thunder Mountain, Ariel's Grotto (where you meet her), The Barnstormer, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Mad Tea Party and Enchanted Tales with Belle (she tells a story). I also love the Main Street Electrical Parade and the Wishes Fireworks Show.
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Before we get to day two, if you're planning a trip to Disney World, get the Magic Bands if they're offered to you. I loved them! Right now, you can only get them if you're staying at certain Disney resorts as they're still being tested. It basically puts your park tickets, your room key, your fastpasses and your credit card on this waterproof band around your wrist. You don't have to carry it all - it's so conveinent. You select a private pin, so if you lose it, someone can't just pick it up and start using your credit card. And it gives you three Fastpasses at one time, which you can choose in advance. If you're familiar with Fastpasses, you know how awesome that is. Just a note from me though, I found most Fastpasses I had for the morning (11 a.m. and earlier) were wasted because the waits were not long yet and you could just do standby.
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OK, so sidebar done - day two was at the Hollywood Studios. It's not my favorite park, but this was my daughter's and my husband's first trips - so I wanted them to see it all. We had lunch at the Hollywood and Vine because it's a character lunch with Jake from the Neverland Pirates, Handy Manny, Secret Agent Oso and June from the Little Einsteins. My husband fell in love with the lobster mac-n-cheese there, and my daughter likes watching the Disney Junior shows, so it ended up being a good pick. It was fun.
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Some of our favorite rides/shows here: the Beauty and the Beast show, Star Tours, Toy Story Midway Mania, Fantasmic (very good, but didn't live up to the hype for me) and Disney Junior Live on Stage.
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Day three - Animal Kingdom. Having been to Disney World a dozen-plus times in my lifetime (I was born in Florida), the Animal Kingdom is the one park I had not been to as it was still under construction the last time I visited WDW. So this one was a first for all three of us, and I really liked it. Do the safari ride first and early! When we got there at 10 a.m., there was already a 65 minute wait. Thank goodness we had a Fastpass+ for it. (It is one of the few rides I found was good to have a Fastpass for in the morning) It was a nice (but bumpy) ride, but my husband's and my favorite thing at Animal Kingdom was Finding Nemo - The Musical! It was fabulous!
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Some of our favorites here other than Nemo: Festival of the Lion King and Kilimanjaro Safaris. Our daughter also got to meet several character here - fun!
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Day four was Epcot - a place where you can travel around the world as you meander around a small lake. I remember not being so fond of this park as a kid, but there are some new rides here to make it more entertaining for the younger set and the International Food Festival just happened to be going on, so there was a lot of great food to try out. My daughter's second favorite ride out of all the parks is - surprisingly - at Epcot. It's new since the last time I was here, so it was also a first for me. It's called Test Track. You "design" you own car and then "test drive" it. The ride goes through stops and starts and turns inside, and then goes outside where you take a turn at 60 mph! I thought my daughter would start crying, but instead, she let out the happiest laugh ever! So cute. I would also recommend a Fastpass - it had a long wait early. As did Soarin', another newer ride. It was awesome! It had a 60+ minute wait by 9:45 a.m. Can we say Fastpass? I had also read somewhere that Epcot has the shortest lines of all the parks to meet the characters - ummm... no. Only Sleeping Beauty had a short line, so we met her... again. We met her three times on this trip, and funny, she looked a little different every time! :)
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Some of our favorites at Epcot are definitely Soarin' and Test Track, and I personally like Journey into Imagination with Figment, but I think that's because I loved it as a kid.
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Day five, our last at WDW - sniff, sniff - took us back to the Magic Kingdom. We caught some of the things we missed on day one there, and we still didn't get to do all the rides/shows I had wanted to catch. Oh well, that means we have to go back again, right? We did leave the park by 5:45 p.m. to catch our last dinner reservations of the trip - Chef Mickey's - where my daughter finally got to meet Mickey and Minnie! And mommy got to meet the dessert buffet...
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Having gone to Disney so many times as a child and young adult, returning to Disney with my own daughter certainly held its fair share of magic. That this trip was for my daughter's fourth birthday made it all the more special. I don't know if it does the same for everyone, but WDW certainly brought out a little bit of the kid in me. I was anxious to get to all the rides, find the Disney characters and search out the special sweets and treats that are scattered around the parks. Is it the most magical place on earth? Well, I guess that depends on you - but in my daughter's eyes it was ALL magical (she even thought fairies came to our room every day to straighten it and arrange her stuffed animals) and that made the entire trip just perfect.Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-15063478905915705452013-10-29T20:33:00.000-04:002013-10-29T20:59:37.770-04:00A Silent KillerIt has been a while since I have posted to this blog site. I have recently started a blog a work, which is one reason, but the other reasons are too numerous to list (as I've probably mentioned at the beginning of the last five posts or so that I've written months apart). We can all have the best intentions and then life decides are actual paths, right? And while this may be a not so happy post to put up when I haven't posted about life since July, I told myself when my mother died that I would use every opportunity I had to tell people her story - to tell the story of Ovarian Cancer. This year, I missed posting on the day of her death - October 11 - so if you haven't read it yet, here is her story. And at the bottom, you'll find the most important information of all - the symptoms you need to look out for so life doesn't make the same path for you as it did my mother.
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My mother's death impacts my life every, single day. It shapes me, it reminds me, it saddens me, it warns me, and I hope when you hear this story, you will also keep the warning in the back of your head. If you are a woman or there is a woman in your life, this can impact you. It is a silent killer, and its signs are not often obvious or recognized. I implore you to take a moment and listen. Let one good thing come out of my loss – that each of you know the signs that could keep you or that woman in your life alive.
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On October 11th, 2009, cancer killed my mother, Kathi. She was 52 years old. Here in the month of October, we’re surrounded by pink everywhere to remind us of breast cancer – chances are you’ve heard of it and know how to check for it and know when to get your mammograms. I am so happy that the word is out there. It’s saving lives. But the cancer that killed my mother is one you may have heard of, but there’s no test to find it, the symptoms are usually mistaken (even by doctors) for something else, and, while there is a month for awareness, you probably don’t know when it is and you certainly don’t see teal everywhere. It’s called the silent killer. It’s called Ovarian Cancer.
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But let me take you back to 2006 - a painful year for my family. It was the year I moved 17 hours away from my family for my next job in TV news; it was the year my parents’ house burned to the ground; it was the year my mom got cancer for the second time in her life. Ovarian Cancer reared its awful, ugly, grotesque head quite quietly with my mother more than one month before Christmas. She thought she had a bladder infection and went to her OB/GYN. He agreed and sent her home with some medicine to fight a bladder infection. But my mother’s symptoms did not get better, only worse. At this point, it was close to Christmas, and true to form, she didn’t want to inconvenience anyone around the holidays with her medical problems. She figured she’d deal with it quietly and go back to her doctor after the holidays. But on Christmas Eve, her pain was so immense that my family insisted on the emergency room. She balked, still not wanting to ruin the holidays for anyone, but at this point she could not resist. At the hospital, tests were ordered and we would not get the results until after the New Year.
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At the start of 2007, my mother was diagnosed with late Stage III Ovarian Cancer. She was 49 years old. Later that year, she was also diagnosed with Stage I Breast Cancer. It was the second time she would battle cancer in her lifetime. She was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma just after giving birth to me, her first child. Despite taking certain chemo therapies that are now banned in the U.S., she persevered and beat that cancer. My whole life, she always told me she fought like hell against that cancer because she didn’t want to leave her baby girl – me. Now, 31 years later, we were facing another monster. She began chemo right away.
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She never wavered, never lost her smile and never let the cancer get the best of her. Later in 2007, I became engaged, and while she battled Ovarian Cancer, she also helped me plan my wedding. When I flew home to Georgia to go wedding dress shopping with her and my sisters, my mother came along even though at times she couldn’t get out of the car and come into the stores because her chemo left her so tired. But she was there, that was her. She never, ever missed a moment in our lives. She was determined to make it to my wedding, and in September of 2008, she was there as I stood under an arbor that overlooked a vineyard and was married. I learned later from her doctor that at one point that year, he wasn’t sure she’d make it to my wedding because he thought they’d run out of chemo treatments. Then another door opened and another treatment was tried and worked for the time being, and my mom made it to my wedding.
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It was a happy and painful year. Earlier in 2008, her cancer was deemed incurable. It would be with her for the rest of her life.
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In February 2009, my family took our annual ski trip. I still look back at a group picture we took on that trip – all 15 of us standing there smiling, not one of us knowing that I was pregnant. But I was, and it made my mother so happy. Her first-born was soon to become a first-time mom. She kept fighting. She wanted to meet her grandbaby. My daughter would be her third grandchild.
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In late August of 2009, I flew home to Georgia to visit my mom, knowing I would soon be too pregnant to safely fly. During my trip home, she had an oncologist appointment. I went along. He told her they tumors weren’t responding to the latest chemo and they were out of options. There were no more chemo treatments left for my mommy. The doctor gave her about six weeks to live, about the time of my daughter’s due date. A few days later, we met with hospice and my mom really started coming to the realization, very painfully, that it was over. It was the first time in the two and a half year battle that I saw her spirit dim, if only a little.
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She decided she wanted to travel the country in an RV, so my family and I furiously began planning the trip – renting an RV, mapping out the destinations, buying tickets to things like the Grand Ole Opry and Broadway-like shows in Vegas. I flew home to Nebraska knowing I’d see my mom in a couple of weeks. My home in Omaha was one of the stops on her journey. And she made it there - I was ?? weeks pregnant. Their last night there, I had to say goodbye. It was a very hard goodbye, but my mom assured me she’d be there to meet my little girl. But as I hugged her goodbye, she touched my pregnant belly and said, “you take care of that little girl. You take really good care of that baby.” It was the last time I would ever hug my mother.
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I got the call from my sister on October 11, 2009 – my mom was gone at the age of 52. Doctors had said she would make it through the weekend, but I didn’t fly home because I was a few days shy of 38 weeks pregnant. She made it until Sunday and then the cancer won. I HATE that it did. And I hate more in the way it won. No one should die in the painful and slow manner that my mother did, certainly not the mother who sacrificed everything for her children, who never met a person who didn’t instantly like her and who was just a good person, just so good. My husband and I made arrangements to fly home to Georgia on Monday, doctor’s permission slip in hand because airline police prohibits flying as pregnant as I was.
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My mother died on Sunday, I flew home on Monday, I went into labor on Tuesday.
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My husband and I were more than a thousand miles away from our doctor, our hospital and our house, and I was in labor at 3:30 a.m. So off to the local hospital we went in the dark of night, my husband driving my mom's SUV and not having a clue where he was going. I had to give him directions between contractions. We arrived at the hospital and didn't even know what entrance to go to. We found locked doors twice before finding the right entrance, and yeah, I floundered up to both locked doors!
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We checked in and by the time we got to a room, I turned around and there was my sister, brother and cousin in the room with my husband and me and my other sister and father on the way. We had thought we'd be delivering in Omaha with just my husband and me – calm and quiet - but I guess my mom had other ideas. So there we were, in the hospital where two years earlier they had cut cancer from my mother, in the hospital where my two nieces were born, in the hospital where my delivery nurse had also been my sister's bridesmaid - there surrounded by those who love me most and the memory of one who just couldn't stay long enough to make it. I delivered Georgia Katherine Tuesday morning – two days after my mother had died. We left the hospital on Wednesday with a borrowed car seat, a bag full of borrowed baby clothes, and hearts bursting with every emotion you can possibly imagine. We arrived at my parents' house to a borrowed crib, borrowed baby supplies and relatives arriving in town with funeral clothes and baby gifts packed in their suitcases. On Friday, my daughter and I looked down on my mother in her casket, and on Saturday we buried her. It's the only time my daughter every saw her grandmother.
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My mother fought hard to live long enough to meet her granddaughter and in the end, she missed the date by two days. But life doesn't stop, and it's the beauty of my daughter's life that keeps me smiling. I do wonder though, almost every day, what my daughter's missing without such a great grandmother to love her. I try to make up for it every day.
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So why tell you all this? Why am I sharing a two and a half year time in my life that ended with the worst day and best day of my life happening in a two day span? I tell you this to show you just how cancer can affect one family, just ONE family. How many thousands of families are hit like this every single day, every single year? Ovarian Cancer alone is expected to kill more than 14,000 women this year. That’s 14,000 more families with stories like mine, with holes in their hearts like mine, with days that will never be quite complete and are always “just missing something” like mine.
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According to ovariancancer.org, a woman’s lifetime risk of developing invasive ovarian cancer is 1 in 72, and a woman’s lifetime risk of dying from invasive ovarian cancer is 1 in 95. While it is the 10th most common cancer among women, ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women, and is the deadliest of gynecologic cancers. So please, read through these symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. Learn them, know them, remember them next time something just “isn’t right.”
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The symptoms are:
•Bloating
•Pelvic or abdominal pain
•Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
•Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
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See your doctor, preferably a gynecologist, if you have these symptoms more than 12 times during the course of one month and the symptoms are new or unusual for you, according to ovariancancer.org.
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<a href="http://www.ovariancancer.org/about-ovarian-cancer/risk-factors/">CLICK HERE</a> to learn about the risk factors.
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<a href="http://www.ovariancancer.org/">CLICK HERE</a> to go to the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance.
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And by the way, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month is September, and even if you don't see teal everywhere, you'll find my toenails painted that color throughout much of the year... and now you know why.
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I still miss my mother tremendously - the pain really doesn't lessen. Whomever came up with the saying "time heals all things" was full of shit. My mother's absence has been so obvious to me lately. We went to Disney World for Georgia's birthday this month. My mom wasn't with us. If she was still alive, she wouldn't have missed it for the world. She would have been such a part of my daughter's life, but because of life's evil ways, she is not. I do get angry that my daughter is missing out there so much. My daughter does not get that experience of a grandma, an "Oma." There are life events - like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. - where I know my mother would send a card or flowers or something just to let me know she remembered, just to put a smile on my face. Instead, my mailbox is empty those days. There are so many moments where I think of her, miss her, want her here. I pray I live to 100, not for the selfish reasons of a long life, but simply so Georgia never feels what I'm feeling at my age. I know overall I am so blessed, my family is so blessed, and there are so many people that have it much worse than me and much worse stories of death to tell - but this is mine and it's the one I live. So mom, know I miss you, know you're still loved, and know I wish Ovarian Cancer nothing but the worst in life.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7V6NtaXivGs8omqRyfh9ll_K3kiavQM4KpIOR_R7KeZkcMJSTdLEP445WAyrI2NLcbSE-acwh-rPB-KIOxwzLH-k5Wj0RiuDI00Qo9cwJOPjN4FsJGAHqwuQWONE6fETFzEY2iEgAIkg/s1600/230732_1017056058903_670_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7V6NtaXivGs8omqRyfh9ll_K3kiavQM4KpIOR_R7KeZkcMJSTdLEP445WAyrI2NLcbSE-acwh-rPB-KIOxwzLH-k5Wj0RiuDI00Qo9cwJOPjN4FsJGAHqwuQWONE6fETFzEY2iEgAIkg/s640/230732_1017056058903_670_n.jpg" /></a></div>Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-52863115698067243632013-07-23T01:20:00.001-04:002013-07-23T01:20:57.655-04:00Let's do June!So my procrastination can hide no more -- posting a brief look at May at the end of July is proof that I am not the most timely of people. Is it my 9-5 job news job... my part-time photography work... motherhood... wifehood... my veggie garden... life... or one of the 100 other excuses I could list? Who knows... but I do know I might as well get the month of June in now before we reach August.
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June started off with our entire family brought together to say goodbye to the woman who is the reason so many of our family members exist - including myself and my daughter. My maternal grandmother passed away in May following a lengthy battle with kidney cancer. On that day, I became the oldest woman in the lineage of my grandmother and grandfather. That position should have gone to my mom, but of course she lost her life to ovarian cancer about three and a half years ago. So here we are. A goodbye to the second-most influential woman in my life - her common sense wisdom and common sense lessons and common sense love will be missed.
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But as seems to be the case these days, only marriage and death bring our whole family together. And while we all traveled home to the Florida Keys to mourn, we also made the most of our family time together. Georgia was thrilled (still is) to have had so much time with her cousins.
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It was a few days of good family times dotted with family goodbyes, regrets, loss and tears. Almost three months after my grandmother's death, I still can't find the words, nor do I yet want to, of the woman I have lost and the lessons and experiences my daughter will never learn because of that loss. I come from a line of A.M.A.Z.I.N.G women, but those women are all now left to memories, life lessons and the bits of them that live on in the women my sisters, my cousin and I are today.
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Father's Day found Georgia and I continuing what has become an annual gift for her daddy:
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In June, we also see the end of strawberry-picking, and the beginning of blueberry-picking! This was a first for Georgia and I.
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We also learned fresh blueberries make delicious blueberry cobbler!
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Just a few of the moments I caught during the month of June.Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-13638160696048160372013-07-20T00:37:00.000-04:002013-07-20T00:37:20.581-04:00Month of MayWow... has it really been more than two months since my last post? I knew when my sister texted me, telling me to update my blog, that I was behind, but I didn't realize I was THAT behind!
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Time to play catch up, right? So here's a look at some of the highlights of May.
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We went to a strawberry festival in one of the little towns (really little towns) near us, Vanceboro. Georgia loved the rides and slides and bouncy houses.
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And at a strawberry festival, you have to have strawberries, right? We did our as strawberry shortcake! Mmmmmmm...
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Georgia burned off that shortcake by chasing bubbles.
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The other happening in May was Mother's Day. I must share Georgia's gift for me this year.
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She drew a family portrait - me, her, and Ben - and she even wrote who was who. LOVE!! Her writing and spelling are coming along nicely. Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-17275545305736224022013-05-03T00:01:00.001-04:002013-05-03T00:21:12.567-04:00Building and Growing Our Organic GardenSince Georgia was born three and a half years ago, we have been moving toward eating more and more organic food, raw food and less-processed food. There are many reasons for it. She was born right when my mother died of cancer (and who knows what causes it), my grandmother has cancer, I became more educated about the state of our food today while I was pregnant and on and on. I would say I'm happy with about two-thirds of what we eat. That other third are the occasional treats, meals out at restaurants and those instances of ordering a delivery pizza when I just don't have time for anything else. (yes, it happens)
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So what better way to know your food is organic and know exactly where it's coming from than to grow it yourself? We started with planting organic seeds.
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Then we (i.e. my hubby) cleared about a 20' by 30' section of grass in our backyard. What's the saying? Grow food not grass.
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We went from this...
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... to this.
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A total of 10 raised beds filled with green beans, sugar snap peas, strawberries, broccoli, collards, spinach, lettuce, cantaloupe, corn, sunflowers, carrots, onions, potatoes, asparagus, peppers, okra and tomatoes. Now we just need my green thumb to work well this summer and my anti-squirrel tactics to kick-in. (did I mention we have a crazy squirrel problem?)
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Georgia also helped me plant two peach trees on Arbor Day.
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We also have two blueberry bushes so far, a raspberry bush, two blackberry bushes and I have a grape arbor in the works. I can't wait to see how well we'll eat this summer and so many summers to come!Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-35133490409186317582013-04-30T21:17:00.002-04:002013-04-30T21:19:32.275-04:00I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream....... for ICE CREAM! We now have an ice cream truck that comes through our neighborhood on some weekends. The first time we caught it was about three weeks ago, just as I was leaving to photograph someone else's kids. That means I missed Georgia's first ice cream truck experience. Luckily, her daddy was there to make sure she got to pick out a cold treat.
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So when the ice cream truck came loudly jingling and jangling through our neighborhood this past weekend, you'd better believe I was there for it!!!
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So many choices for a little one, and while the truck was empty of Georgia's first choice - the Spiderman popsicle - her second choice was served right up, yellow head, gumball eyes and all.
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Georgia's ears are now tuned into the blaring melodies of the ice cream truck, and her eyes light up when she hears anything that resembles the sound of sugar-filled treats on a stick dancing through our streets.Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-1927538013954194562013-04-02T21:21:00.002-04:002013-04-02T21:21:41.762-04:00Hunting for EggsWe had a great Easter weekend, and better yet, it was a three-day weekend for our family. (that rarely happens)
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Friday was spent doing a lot of work building our vegetable garden - more to come on that later. So Saturday, we had some fun finding rainbow-colored eggs.
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What made it even better, one of Georgia's favorite friends also made it out to this egg hunt - Mia.
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And just look at this smile..
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You know this girl found a lot of eggs - I'm pretty sure more than anyone else in her age group and maybe the entire group. She is an egg hunting machine!
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With a basket full of chocolate, who could wait to get home to start eating? Certainly not my little one.
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What a great way to spend part of our holiday weekend - making memories.
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Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-38527502609692044362013-03-28T01:59:00.000-04:002013-03-28T01:59:16.330-04:00Bounce, Bounce, BounceThe Trampoline.
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It causes crazy static.
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Smiles.
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Peace.
<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8537847719/" title="01.07.13-2 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8232/8537847719_55e61be93c_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="01.07.13-2"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8538957164/" title="01.07.13-15 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8237/8538957164_c63c6ed2ae_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="01.07.13-15"></a></center>Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-24614827557266514632013-03-27T01:42:00.001-04:002013-03-27T01:43:33.901-04:00And the "First Family to Visit" Prize Goes to...OK, I kid, there is no prize, but it was so nice to finally entertain family in our new home. On St. Patrick's Day weekend, my hubby's father, his wife and her grandson drove from Texas to North Carolina to pay us a visit. It was nice to see them.
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We spent time at the beach and flew a kite.
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After the sand came the fair! It was a St. Patrick's Day Festival, and Georgia loved all the kiddie rides.
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Such a great time and a great visit!Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-29084586283539084432013-03-16T00:38:00.000-04:002013-03-16T00:38:46.911-04:00Spring is Close, I Can Feel It!We're are at that time of the year when winter and spring seemed intertwined - mix in a few days of a chilly breeze, toss in a few days of sunshine, add in a few days of cloudy cool skies and follow it up with some flower buds and greening grass. Spring is almost here and lately, we've had some spring-like days in this ending winter season.
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Warm sunny weather tends to do this to little three-year-old girls:
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Side effects: finding the nearest hill and rolling down it over and over and over again.
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Ah spring, how sweet art thou?
Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-48896739122546840842013-03-12T21:05:00.003-04:002013-03-12T21:19:54.538-04:00Getting to Know the Place Where We LiveIt seems such a common thing to do. We live in an area with these unique and beautiful and original places all around us - places other people travel to our area just to see - yet we never give them a thought or a moment or a visit. A little more than a year and a half ago, we moved to an amazing area of our country - there is so much history and natural beauty here - and it is my goal to actually travel in our backyard and not overlook the highlights all around us.
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This weekend, we visited the small waterfront town of Swansboro - "the friendly city by the sea." It has been here quite awhile, founded in 1783.
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We had a delightful lunch at a place on the water, where my husband thought it would be cute to take a picture of me taking a picture of Georgia while we waited for our food.
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Then after a walk through town, stops at a few gifts shops and an ice cream at a store that also sold coffee, beer and wine (my kind of place), we then drove to a nearby hiking trail in the Croatan National Forest.
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See what I mean about natural beauty? It was just breathtaking, and even during winter, it was full of life. Oysters, clams, all kinds of birds, snails, crabs - so many critters to watch and explore.
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It was a picturesque and active ending to a very lovely afternoon.
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Quite amazing - I just can't wait to go back in the spring when everything is green and going - except for the mosquitoes!
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Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-36045372002508287222013-03-06T00:24:00.000-05:002013-03-06T00:28:19.200-05:00"Feed the Birds... "It's still my favorite song from "Mary Poppins"...
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"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag, tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag, that's what she cries, While overhead, her birds fill the skies, All around the cathedral the saints and apostles, Look down as she sells her wares, Although you can't see it, You know they are smiling, Each time someone shows that he cares, Though her words are simple and few, Listen, listen, she's calling to you, Feed the birds, tuppence a bag, Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag."
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Today, Georgia and I started feeding the birds.
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Maybe it's this itch we already have for Spring, maybe it's our love of the outdoors, maybe it's that songbirds kept stopping by our empty hummingbird feeder in hopes of finding seeds - whatever the reason, I recently felt a strong need to hang a birdfeeder.
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And why not? Look at how beautiful the view is now out our back window.
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8530729238/" title="02.22.13-13 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8530/8530729238_8531aed4f7_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="02.22.13-13"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8529617609/" title="02.22.13-20 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8514/8529617609_fe1c5af8c6_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="02.22.13-20"></a></center>Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-87973825814365974812013-03-05T01:10:00.004-05:002013-03-05T01:10:59.405-05:00Her Own Space.I don't think a day goes by where Georgia doesn't come to me at least once (OK, really 100 times) and ask, "will you come play in my playroom?" It's her little oasis, her piece of paradise, her toy world, her land of imagination and, well, it's HERS. I love that she loves her playroom - it's why I've worked so hard to make it her place.
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Today, Play-Doh was on tap - a frequent favorite.
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The focus... the concentration...
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Learning to cut with scissors is a big thing these days too.
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And doesn't Cinderella just look stylish now?
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Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-34800294268140428022013-02-26T21:11:00.000-05:002013-02-26T21:13:25.981-05:00We Have Truffula Trees!I painted Georgia's playroom months ago, and it has taken me this long to finally figure out what to do with it beyond just paint.
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Welcome the world of Dr. Seuss... and we're starting with truffula trees from "The Lorax."
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Coming soon - we might see the lorax and some swomee swans make appearances!
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<center>"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." - Dr. Seuss</center>Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-13424283270025368832013-02-20T01:59:00.000-05:002013-02-20T01:59:20.051-05:00NC Snow!!!We've lived here in our new home in North Carolina for more than a year and a half now, and we finally just had our first snowfall! Yay! Now, granted, this is a southern snowfall, so the hype was much more than the snow amount. Having lived in Omaha, NE, the five years previous to this, I had almost forgotten how fleeting snow here can be.
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But we got snow... all 1/4 of an inch of it! And Georgia loved every little icy snowflake.
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Of course, she and her daddy had to conspire against me to make sure I was hit with my fair share of snowballs...
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And even though there wasn't much snow there, we made snow angels.
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8484165244/" title="02.17.13-33 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8370/8484165244_258f3de918_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="02.17.13-33"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8483067255/" title="02.17.13-27 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8376/8483067255_85fc213e13_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="02.17.13-27"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8484167930/" title="02.17.13-34 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8231/8484167930_bdde5be372_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="02.17.13-34"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8483076559/" title="02.17.13-35 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8097/8483076559_cb8b5ae036_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="02.17.13-35"></a></center>
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It was a beautiful day...
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8483083875/" title="02.17.13-46 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8381/8483083875_ce62df31bb_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="02.17.13-46"></a>
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... finished off by a perfect cup of hot chocolate just before the sun melted away all the snow around noon.
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Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-8269305390256863662013-02-10T20:27:00.004-05:002013-02-10T20:27:51.845-05:00Bath TimeBath time with Georgia is not typically my time in the house. Monday through Friday, I am heading back to work at the end of my dinner break as Georgia climbs into the tub, so it's my hubby who supervises. And while bath time usually feels more like a chore, tonight I was reminded of the magic you can find when a little one is in a vessel full of water.
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While Georgia bathed tonight, I was lured in by the sounds of laughter and splashing behind the closed door. Bubbles were flying and smiles were abundant. How my little one loves the water!
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8463737522/" title="DSC_0033 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8245/8463737522_45bf2e559e_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="DSC_0033"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8462664121/" title="DSC_0035-2 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8532/8462664121_49d7c9d5f0_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="DSC_0035-2"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8462659293/" title="DSC_0051-2 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8392/8462659293_979e29900a_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="DSC_0051-2"></a>
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It just took a moment to remind how magical even the most mundane things can be when there's a child in the mix.Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-45379727813336242972013-01-10T16:11:00.001-05:002013-01-10T20:59:27.962-05:00Llama, Llama Comes to Life!Georgia loves the "Llama, Llama... " book series, and I have a confession, I think I love it even more! So when we went to our local farmer's market this past Saturday, Georgia and I were not going pass up the offer of a free llama ride!!
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8360200086/" title="Untitled by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8360200086_97bb94e08e_z.jpg" width="457" height="640" alt="Untitled"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8368173393/" title="Untitled by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8051/8368173393_73a1f2a000_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Untitled"></a></center>
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His name is "Matador," and he and his owner took us for a spin around the building. Such a smooth ride and so much fun. Definitely a first for both of us.Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-19610201856125015162013-01-09T21:13:00.002-05:002013-01-09T21:13:56.158-05:00She Can Write!Georgia breezed through learning to say her ABCs however long ago that was, and now, she's learning to write them.
We typically practice on pieces of paper laying around or the awesome easel her Aunt Jenna gave Georgia, but today we took a more unique approach. Georgia had to write an "I'm sorry" card to our five-year-old neighbor next door. Little Addison plays with Georgia quite often, and Georgia loves Addison's company, but today Georgia decided she was not going to share ANYTHING with dear Addison.
Now Addison is the middle child of three girls and is very patient. So I knew Georgia had really overstepped her bounds when Addison decided she was going home before her mom came hunting for her. That has never happened before. So Georgia and I had some lengthy "sharing" discussions, read "Llama, Llama, Time to Share" about 10 times and did this:
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8357921741/" title="12.28.12-3 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8071/8357921741_54c748228b_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="12.28.12-3"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8358984154/" title="12.28.12-4 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8469/8358984154_1e8060eb94_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="12.28.12-4"></a></center>
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The creation is hers and most of the writing is hers. I helped with the "s" and "n" and "g" and "r" - but the rest is all Georgia!
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She also drew this person all by herself.
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8357925103/" title="12.28.12-10 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8508/8357925103_31c0ae8c54_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="12.28.12-10"></a></center>
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I hope these lessons leave an impression on my little one, but I'll be honest, her writing and art skills left me impressed. My little is growing up quick.Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-92174732258635168192013-01-07T13:58:00.001-05:002013-01-07T13:58:07.740-05:00"Love"I never did get a post up about our new visitor last month. A new friend showed up at our house on December first, and she stayed with us all the way through Christmas. It was Georgia's first visit from one of Santa's elves, and Georgia named her "Love."
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Meet Love the Elf.
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8320036737/" title="love the elf-30 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8503/8320036737_c841af070e_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="love the elf-30"></a></center>
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She wrapped Georgia's toilet..
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8321096502/" title="love the elf-27 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8219/8321096502_e3606490c8_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="love the elf-27"></a></center>
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She became "Spider-Love"...
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8320023737/" title="love the elf-19 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8078/8320023737_af5d35f2c4_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="love the elf-19"></a></center>
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She colored the water blue...
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8320018431/" title="love the elf-11 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8492/8320018431_f8c90593d9_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="love the elf-11"></a></center>
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And she even turned Georgia into Rudolph...
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8357910651/" title="12.26.12-11 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8499/8357910651_c064170ff3_z.jpg" width="425" height="640" alt="12.26.12-11"></a></center>
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Then she flew back to Santa on Christmas night...
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8358969844/" title="12.25.12-14 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8076/8358969844_c65c48e024_z.jpg" width="426" height="640" alt="12.25.12-14"></a></center>
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She was fun, she was mischievous and she was kind. We missed Love when she went back Christmas night to spend the next 11 months with Santa. But we know we'll see her again next December.Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-46824932730540112592012-12-31T23:01:00.004-05:002012-12-31T23:01:43.949-05:00Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!I don't have time to write separate blog posts for these two events, so I'm wrapping them together, tying them up with ribbon and sprinkling on some confetti.
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I'm looking forward to 2013 - 13 is such a great number in our home. I was born on the 13th, married on the 13th and gave birth to my amazing daughter on the 13th. How can 2013 not be awesome for us?
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And while it is already in the recent past (it came and went so quickly), I want to wish you all a belated Merry Christmas! We did not get to travel home to see any family as I had hoped we'd get to this year, I haven't spent Christmas with my family since 2005 and never with my hubby's family, but we did get to spend some great time with our new neighbors of six months.
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Christmas Eve was spent with one set of neighbors and their four kids. Georgia played hard while my hubby and I enjoyed some adult conversation (and beverages!). The Sunday before Christmas we spent at church with our next-door neighbors and their three daughters. They also invited us to share Christmas dinner with them. It was a great time getting to know great neighbors.
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And Georgia had a fabulous Christmas morning with way too many presents - a high she is still coming down from.
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8319958655/" title="12.25.12-9 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8079/8319958655_1067ca7d11_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="12.25.12-9"></a>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8319961709/" title="12.25.12-18 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8494/8319961709_de4049b6b2_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="12.25.12-18"></a>
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So here's to another year of wonderfulness. Happy New Year and many blessings!Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5376135916014263241.post-50248211447994976602012-12-26T21:03:00.000-05:002012-12-26T21:03:06.879-05:00Dad, If You're Reading This...... I figured out your trick.
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You figured out how to get out of the Christmas toy assembling that I know you mastered for all those years of having us four kids.
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Become a grandpa!
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While I know Georgia will LOVE this doll house you sent her for Christmas, the hour I spent putting it together and sticking on every last sticker was not so much fun. :)
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<center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/j37o/8282030020/" title="12.16.12-2 by j37o, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8351/8282030020_6758831e98_z.jpg" width="640" height="425" alt="12.16.12-2"></a></center>
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But I can't wait to see her open it on Christmas morning. Thanks!
(this post obviously written before Christmas, I just forgot to post it)Jaime O.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15972298987596052074noreply@blogger.com0