Brayden is just a joy. His tantrums are practically gone and the crying and hitting is fading as well. He's getting much better at expressing himself through words instead. He says some of the funniest things too. He tipped over Preston's scooter a couple weeks ago and I think I must have said something about that "being bad news." Now he refers to almost any bad decision as "bad news." Haha. He also says "tonight" whenever referring to a time. So he'll say we did this tonight. . . even if it was yesterday or earlier the same day. Does that make sense? He says his own prayers now and there's usually something in there to giggle about. He'll say "Thank you for Ranch dressing" or "Thank you for Mommy, Daddy (no and. . . we're practically one person). Thank you for Mommy. Thank you for Mommy play with me. Thank you for trains. Thank you for Mommy, Daddy." Haha. Then he'll do his proud laugh when he's done and say "I said prayer about Mommy Daddy!" (or whatever else).
I really try to stress the principle of choosing to be happy with Brayden. So, when he does get in a frustrated mood or get upset about something, I'll remind him that we need to find a way to be happy. Or I'll tell him that instead of getting stressed and upset when Zander cries he could try to help make Zander happy. (that did wonders!) Anyway, when we were in Utah, Brayden asked for the iPad and then said "iPads make me happy." Hahaha. Earlier this week we were pulling out the train set (his new favorite game) and he did his little giggle and said "trains make me happy." I just love that boy.
In our family scripture reading, we're using some children's scripture books and we were reading about when Christ calmed the sea. He really like the story because we were rocking him like the boat and it was thundering outside so it was a perfect setting. Then we told him how we need Christ to calm our lives sometimes and he was very attentive. Not sure how much he grasped, but it was very darling. The last 2 or 3 days he keeps wanting to read that story again :)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Isn't it Nice. . .
When your kids are all asleep? Yes. Yes it is. I bask in the silence when I have the chance. For his nap, Brayden piled up a bunch of his favorite stuffed animals and asked to sleep on the floor with them. Oh the silly things that kids do.
Friday, August 31, 2012
The Boys
My boys have both grown so much! In size and personality!
Brayden always has something to say and loves to repeat anything and everything. In addition, he's now big enough to hit his head on our counter. He must have grown an inch while we were gone! He is using a binky again (I think he missed Daddy while we were away and regressed a bit). He is still taking a nap. Usually. But, I have to open his door at 2 or 3 to help him wake up sooner so he'll still go to bed at 7:30 or 8. Some days he doesn't nap, but he still gets rather ornery on those occasions. So we try for a nap :) He loves friends right now and will ask to play with them. He loves playing with Zander, but only if they start playing together. If Zander's jumping in to share his toys he's not such a big fan. He wears big boy underpants all day now with a few exceptions. One being when he needs to have a messy. He hasn't quite decided he wants to do that in the toilet yet. He did it once at Preston's parents house while we were gone and was so proud. He still talks about it, but asks for a diaper anyway. I've decided that I can just wait for him to be ready. He's done awesome with everything else! He even holds it during his 3 hour naps! Amazing. He also wears a diaper at night. I'm not actually sure how or when to stop that either. . . I don't think he's ready yet, but I haven't tried. I'm usually fairly perceptive about when he's ready, so I'm just holding off for a bit. Anyway, besides potty training and all that, he is becoming a very sweet boy. He loves to be my helper and is actually quite helpful. He puts laundry baskets back, puts trash cans away, throws things away, helps clean up toys. He is amazing. I've started letting him help clear the table on occasion. But sometimes (like tonight) I don't really clear the table. I do the very minimum and there are still a few things on the table. It'll be a bummer in the morning, but I'm exhausted.
Zander is getting so big! He is very bright and picks up on things very quickly! He can say several words clearly enough that other people can understand. He doesn't consistently talk, but he does say single words. Today he said "juice" and he was pointing at juice box of Brayden's. He usually just opens his mouth and pants at me if he wants food or drink. He's like a little puppy :) He has said "stars," "doggy," "Daddy," "Mum mum," "Jesus," "temple," "moon," "bird," "Grandy," and a lot of other on-timers. He walks 50% of the time. I think he's a little afraid of falling on our hardwood floors, so he's pretty cautious. He still has the best laugh and the best moments of my days are when Brayden and Zander both decide the same thing is funny and they have a laughing fest. Even if they're laughing at me, it's THE BEST! Zander currently has 5 teeth and tons of light blonde hair. Both boys got some pretty awesome tans at Lake Powell. They're fading, but man, they have such great skin! Zander has developed a very sneeky side and thinks it's hilarious to do whatever I warn him not to. Every kid has to go through it I guess, but it can be really annoying sometimes when I really mean no. Zander loves high fives! He has started helping to clean up too. He tossed half the mega blocks into their bin today! He is also learning to leave his binky in the crib when we leave. He'll toss it in himself. Zander loves pulling things out. He loves to explore cupboards too. He is my into-everything baby. He is soaking everything up socially. He is very socially advanced in my opinion. He started laughing at a week old and was already interactive on a small level. He loves to be involved and enjoys watching shows with Brayden. Hmm... what else? I'm sure there's so much I'm missing, but he is still a little bundle of joy.
Brayden always has something to say and loves to repeat anything and everything. In addition, he's now big enough to hit his head on our counter. He must have grown an inch while we were gone! He is using a binky again (I think he missed Daddy while we were away and regressed a bit). He is still taking a nap. Usually. But, I have to open his door at 2 or 3 to help him wake up sooner so he'll still go to bed at 7:30 or 8. Some days he doesn't nap, but he still gets rather ornery on those occasions. So we try for a nap :) He loves friends right now and will ask to play with them. He loves playing with Zander, but only if they start playing together. If Zander's jumping in to share his toys he's not such a big fan. He wears big boy underpants all day now with a few exceptions. One being when he needs to have a messy. He hasn't quite decided he wants to do that in the toilet yet. He did it once at Preston's parents house while we were gone and was so proud. He still talks about it, but asks for a diaper anyway. I've decided that I can just wait for him to be ready. He's done awesome with everything else! He even holds it during his 3 hour naps! Amazing. He also wears a diaper at night. I'm not actually sure how or when to stop that either. . . I don't think he's ready yet, but I haven't tried. I'm usually fairly perceptive about when he's ready, so I'm just holding off for a bit. Anyway, besides potty training and all that, he is becoming a very sweet boy. He loves to be my helper and is actually quite helpful. He puts laundry baskets back, puts trash cans away, throws things away, helps clean up toys. He is amazing. I've started letting him help clear the table on occasion. But sometimes (like tonight) I don't really clear the table. I do the very minimum and there are still a few things on the table. It'll be a bummer in the morning, but I'm exhausted.
Zander is getting so big! He is very bright and picks up on things very quickly! He can say several words clearly enough that other people can understand. He doesn't consistently talk, but he does say single words. Today he said "juice" and he was pointing at juice box of Brayden's. He usually just opens his mouth and pants at me if he wants food or drink. He's like a little puppy :) He has said "stars," "doggy," "Daddy," "Mum mum," "Jesus," "temple," "moon," "bird," "Grandy," and a lot of other on-timers. He walks 50% of the time. I think he's a little afraid of falling on our hardwood floors, so he's pretty cautious. He still has the best laugh and the best moments of my days are when Brayden and Zander both decide the same thing is funny and they have a laughing fest. Even if they're laughing at me, it's THE BEST! Zander currently has 5 teeth and tons of light blonde hair. Both boys got some pretty awesome tans at Lake Powell. They're fading, but man, they have such great skin! Zander has developed a very sneeky side and thinks it's hilarious to do whatever I warn him not to. Every kid has to go through it I guess, but it can be really annoying sometimes when I really mean no. Zander loves high fives! He has started helping to clean up too. He tossed half the mega blocks into their bin today! He is also learning to leave his binky in the crib when we leave. He'll toss it in himself. Zander loves pulling things out. He loves to explore cupboards too. He is my into-everything baby. He is soaking everything up socially. He is very socially advanced in my opinion. He started laughing at a week old and was already interactive on a small level. He loves to be involved and enjoys watching shows with Brayden. Hmm... what else? I'm sure there's so much I'm missing, but he is still a little bundle of joy.
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| Go Zan, Go! |
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| Yep. . . in to everything! |
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| Haha. I thought it was awesome how they were sitting back to back. It didn't last for long. |
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| Loves his train set. This is an example of something he doesn't always love to share :D |
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| Brayden attempting the slolem ski on Wii fit |
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| Watching a show together. Haha. Look at those expressions! It looks like they're watching something complex or disturbing. Haha. I really have no clue. |
Saturday, August 25, 2012
5 Years and Counting!
Today marks our 5th Anniversary! Marriage is awesome! Life is great! Couldn't be happier!!
This is probably the shortest (but still sweet) post ever. Ha. Right after one of the longest :)
This is probably the shortest (but still sweet) post ever. Ha. Right after one of the longest :)
I'm back!
Back in Florida and back to blogging. I left for Utah 4 days after my last post (June 29) and got back last Saturday (August 18). It was a great recharge time and we had lots of fun! But, it was also long enough to make me miss home and get me ready to jump back in to homemaking.
I can't believe how much I have to post about! Before I left we bought Preston a scooter for $200 from craigslist. Brayden loves getting rides :) We had to have something to get Preston to seminary in the morning. His class starts at 6 am and he leaves between 5 and 5:30. I didn't want to have to wake the kids up that early or go without a car every day. So Preston rides his 50 cc scooter every day. Haha. Gotta love it! At least he finally agreed to wear the helmet!
Our trip started in Carlsbad, California. Brayden will still talk about how he got to see trains in California and Sea World in California. My dad would take the boys on morning walks several days to give me a nap after waking up in the night with Zander. They'd walk to a train station and see the trains come through and the boys loved it! So did my dad :) They also loved the beach and they would both take good naps by the waves. It was great! A bunch of aunts and uncles were there as well, which was really fun. Not many cousins made it this year and Brayden and Zander were the only kiddos which was a bummer. But, it turned out great! They both took little boogie board rides on the shore and loved it. I might have tried to get Brayden to do a real little ride in the waves and it didn't turn out so well. He got washed off his board and wouldn't get back on the boogie board long enough to even get a picture after that. We also spent a day and a half at Sea World. Also a big hit. They loved the dolphins and whales and seals. They also enjoyed the shows. We did end up getting Zander soaked at a show when Brayden chose the second row (which was in the splash zone) and we didn't know when the splashes were coming. Brayden chickened out a couple minutes before they splashed and had Gramps carry him up the stairs. Poor little Zander got it pretty good. He was drenched! I did have a change of clothes, thankfully.
After California we went to Utah for a week. That was a pretty slow week for me. I was the Mommy that week without much help because My mom and dad had wedding responsibilities/job search to attend to. But we did get to see the new city creek and visit Grandma and Papa Brown. Both were fun! I was supposed to visit with my old roommate too, but Brayden got sick :( So we had to reschedule for after. . .
Lake Powell! Another fun adventure! Nothing like camping in the middle of a lake that feels like 100 degrees outside (and sometimes is!). It's one of the most beautiful places in the world and always a fun trip! Sleeping was really rough the first couple nights for the boys, but after that they adjusted quite well. I was getting burned out at that point from being away from Preston for a month. At least that's what I blamed my lack of patience on until it hit me that I hadn't taken time to read my scriptures for a couple of weeks. How does that happen without me noticing? At least we're back on track with our daily routine again! But, my patience was tried at Powell this year. I think it went alright thanks to so much help from others. And they LOVED the water. They could swim all day and that part was awesome. They also loved the boat. Zander fell right asleep every time we rode. We let the boys go on a very mild tube ride with me and Uncle Steven and then another one with Aunt Beck. They loved playing with their second cousins Maisie and Ruby too. Every time Brayden would see Maisie he would tell me he wanted to go play with her. She's a year and a half older, but they had lots of fun. We took one day to boat out to Rainbow Bridge (one of the natural 7 wonders) and there was a park ranger there who told Brayden a story about a lizard and showed us the dinosaur footprint. Brayden was very intrigued and still talks about that too. The story was a fun way of pointing out that it looks like there's a huge lizard crawling over the bridge when you look closely at the rock.
After Powell we had a week before Preston came. That week was packed with wedding plans and showers too. I rescheduled my play date with old roommates but it didn't work out again. Brayden ended up finding some of my tylenol from a first aid kit from Powell and ate some (or so he said) he came down the stairs (while he was supposed to be sleeping) with white powder around his mouth and 2 1/2 pills in his hands. So, we took him to the emergency room. The hour wait for results turned into 3 hours (gotta love the ER) so it was too late to go see my friends after the ordeal. I'm still really bummed. Next time I guess. Oh, and I decided that I was tired of waking up with Zander at night, so he got to cry it out that week too. But, HE SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT NOW!!! YAY!
When Preston got here it was great! I was SO happy to see him! We spent a lot of time trying to see his family and friends while he could and were still involved with some more wedding parties and the actual wedding, but we were able to see his best buddies. And his parents too. They got a new house and got some bunk beds that Brayden loved sleeping in!
The wedding was great! What a fun time! The boys looked super cute in little gray suits. We didn't actually get a lot of pictures. . . it's harder with 2 kids. And my mom was in the line, so no one really took many pictures at the wedding of us. But, we did get a family picture the next day. The wedding was probably the second most fun wedding I've been to. Only second to my own. Haha. I absolutely love Alyssa and her family! Dan made a great choice!
After the wedding, we took 3 days to get away for a little Anniversary trip up to Lava Hot Springs. It was fun! We camped for 2 nights and then stayed in a themed room at a bed and breakfast for our last night. It was the first time we had ever left the boys and I'm not sure if I should be ashamed or proud that I really didn't miss them that much. Hahaha. I was so happy to see them and excited to be back with them, but while we were gone I just enjoyed being just Preston and I.
And our final celebration was a little birthday party for Zander. We had a nice small group. 13 people total were there, but not all at once, so we got to see family and friends in a smaller setting. Zander loved being sung to and thoroughly enjoyed his cupcakes. We had a little splash pool with ball pit balls in it and that was a hit for Brayden and Zander and one of my friend's little girls. We had filled water balloons (thanks Preston!) but forgot about them until the very end. Brayden just wanted to throw them on the ground and watch them explode :) Preston would chase B with them and throw them by his feet and Brayden was so funny. He would just say "Ah!" Every time and run away. Anyway, it was fun.
We left the next morning and came back to good ol' Florida! I am loving being home! I'm recharged and ready to go for the next year! Then we'll see what happens. . . if seminary works out or if we have to move ourselves back to try for seminary in Utah. Either way, we still feel SO good and at peace and excited (and lots of good emotions) about the decision to go the seminary route. Ah, I just love life right now.
I sort of only have a few pictures because most of them were on my Mom's camera which I totally forgot to copy. So, I will just do them later when I get them in the mail. But, I'll post them!
I can't believe how much I have to post about! Before I left we bought Preston a scooter for $200 from craigslist. Brayden loves getting rides :) We had to have something to get Preston to seminary in the morning. His class starts at 6 am and he leaves between 5 and 5:30. I didn't want to have to wake the kids up that early or go without a car every day. So Preston rides his 50 cc scooter every day. Haha. Gotta love it! At least he finally agreed to wear the helmet!
Our trip started in Carlsbad, California. Brayden will still talk about how he got to see trains in California and Sea World in California. My dad would take the boys on morning walks several days to give me a nap after waking up in the night with Zander. They'd walk to a train station and see the trains come through and the boys loved it! So did my dad :) They also loved the beach and they would both take good naps by the waves. It was great! A bunch of aunts and uncles were there as well, which was really fun. Not many cousins made it this year and Brayden and Zander were the only kiddos which was a bummer. But, it turned out great! They both took little boogie board rides on the shore and loved it. I might have tried to get Brayden to do a real little ride in the waves and it didn't turn out so well. He got washed off his board and wouldn't get back on the boogie board long enough to even get a picture after that. We also spent a day and a half at Sea World. Also a big hit. They loved the dolphins and whales and seals. They also enjoyed the shows. We did end up getting Zander soaked at a show when Brayden chose the second row (which was in the splash zone) and we didn't know when the splashes were coming. Brayden chickened out a couple minutes before they splashed and had Gramps carry him up the stairs. Poor little Zander got it pretty good. He was drenched! I did have a change of clothes, thankfully.
After California we went to Utah for a week. That was a pretty slow week for me. I was the Mommy that week without much help because My mom and dad had wedding responsibilities/job search to attend to. But we did get to see the new city creek and visit Grandma and Papa Brown. Both were fun! I was supposed to visit with my old roommate too, but Brayden got sick :( So we had to reschedule for after. . .
Lake Powell! Another fun adventure! Nothing like camping in the middle of a lake that feels like 100 degrees outside (and sometimes is!). It's one of the most beautiful places in the world and always a fun trip! Sleeping was really rough the first couple nights for the boys, but after that they adjusted quite well. I was getting burned out at that point from being away from Preston for a month. At least that's what I blamed my lack of patience on until it hit me that I hadn't taken time to read my scriptures for a couple of weeks. How does that happen without me noticing? At least we're back on track with our daily routine again! But, my patience was tried at Powell this year. I think it went alright thanks to so much help from others. And they LOVED the water. They could swim all day and that part was awesome. They also loved the boat. Zander fell right asleep every time we rode. We let the boys go on a very mild tube ride with me and Uncle Steven and then another one with Aunt Beck. They loved playing with their second cousins Maisie and Ruby too. Every time Brayden would see Maisie he would tell me he wanted to go play with her. She's a year and a half older, but they had lots of fun. We took one day to boat out to Rainbow Bridge (one of the natural 7 wonders) and there was a park ranger there who told Brayden a story about a lizard and showed us the dinosaur footprint. Brayden was very intrigued and still talks about that too. The story was a fun way of pointing out that it looks like there's a huge lizard crawling over the bridge when you look closely at the rock.
After Powell we had a week before Preston came. That week was packed with wedding plans and showers too. I rescheduled my play date with old roommates but it didn't work out again. Brayden ended up finding some of my tylenol from a first aid kit from Powell and ate some (or so he said) he came down the stairs (while he was supposed to be sleeping) with white powder around his mouth and 2 1/2 pills in his hands. So, we took him to the emergency room. The hour wait for results turned into 3 hours (gotta love the ER) so it was too late to go see my friends after the ordeal. I'm still really bummed. Next time I guess. Oh, and I decided that I was tired of waking up with Zander at night, so he got to cry it out that week too. But, HE SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT NOW!!! YAY!
When Preston got here it was great! I was SO happy to see him! We spent a lot of time trying to see his family and friends while he could and were still involved with some more wedding parties and the actual wedding, but we were able to see his best buddies. And his parents too. They got a new house and got some bunk beds that Brayden loved sleeping in!
The wedding was great! What a fun time! The boys looked super cute in little gray suits. We didn't actually get a lot of pictures. . . it's harder with 2 kids. And my mom was in the line, so no one really took many pictures at the wedding of us. But, we did get a family picture the next day. The wedding was probably the second most fun wedding I've been to. Only second to my own. Haha. I absolutely love Alyssa and her family! Dan made a great choice!
After the wedding, we took 3 days to get away for a little Anniversary trip up to Lava Hot Springs. It was fun! We camped for 2 nights and then stayed in a themed room at a bed and breakfast for our last night. It was the first time we had ever left the boys and I'm not sure if I should be ashamed or proud that I really didn't miss them that much. Hahaha. I was so happy to see them and excited to be back with them, but while we were gone I just enjoyed being just Preston and I.
And our final celebration was a little birthday party for Zander. We had a nice small group. 13 people total were there, but not all at once, so we got to see family and friends in a smaller setting. Zander loved being sung to and thoroughly enjoyed his cupcakes. We had a little splash pool with ball pit balls in it and that was a hit for Brayden and Zander and one of my friend's little girls. We had filled water balloons (thanks Preston!) but forgot about them until the very end. Brayden just wanted to throw them on the ground and watch them explode :) Preston would chase B with them and throw them by his feet and Brayden was so funny. He would just say "Ah!" Every time and run away. Anyway, it was fun.
We left the next morning and came back to good ol' Florida! I am loving being home! I'm recharged and ready to go for the next year! Then we'll see what happens. . . if seminary works out or if we have to move ourselves back to try for seminary in Utah. Either way, we still feel SO good and at peace and excited (and lots of good emotions) about the decision to go the seminary route. Ah, I just love life right now.
I sort of only have a few pictures because most of them were on my Mom's camera which I totally forgot to copy. So, I will just do them later when I get them in the mail. But, I'll post them!
Monday, June 25, 2012
New Callings
We both got new callings 2 weeks ago. Preston got released as Elder's Quorum President and called as a seminary teacher. This was expected given our new change in life plans - to go back to the Church Education System and get a job there. However, the stake president had great things to say. He was very complimentary of Preston's job as EQ president (he has really brought home teachers number up a TON and has been really good for the quorum). But, he also said that he usually doesn't like any of "his people" (I'm guessing they split up the callings they're in charge of?) to be suggested for seminary because it's taking them out of other good callings, etc. When Preston was suggested though he said he didn't have to think twice. He knew it was a perfect fit and was especially happy that it could help with his future career. That was a nice testimony booster. I know it will be early mornings at least for Preston and take a lot of prep time. I'm sure it'll be a challenge. But, the feeling I got when they sustained him in church was an overwhelming confirmation that this is the will of the Lord. Knowing that will be imperative at times I'm sure. It makes all the sacrifice worth it knowing that what we're doing is in line with Heavenly Father's plan.
My new calling isn't life changing, but I'm very excited nonetheless. I got released as the Personal Progress adviser and got called as the Primary Chorister! I think it'll require a little more time, but also much more structured and maybe even more fun. Depends on your definition of fun. I really enjoyed the Young Women! But, primary will be like spiritual playtime :) hehe. I'm excited. I did it for the first time yesterday and it went well! But, as I mentioned before, I'm leaving this Friday for California to meet my family and then I'll head back to Utah with them. I won't be back til August 18th, so I won't get to really jump into it until I get back.
Anyway, exciting changes here. Yay for keeping life interesting.
My new calling isn't life changing, but I'm very excited nonetheless. I got released as the Personal Progress adviser and got called as the Primary Chorister! I think it'll require a little more time, but also much more structured and maybe even more fun. Depends on your definition of fun. I really enjoyed the Young Women! But, primary will be like spiritual playtime :) hehe. I'm excited. I did it for the first time yesterday and it went well! But, as I mentioned before, I'm leaving this Friday for California to meet my family and then I'll head back to Utah with them. I won't be back til August 18th, so I won't get to really jump into it until I get back.
Anyway, exciting changes here. Yay for keeping life interesting.
Just Playin
Here's some pictures of life lately. Enjoy!
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| Brayden standing inside a mega blocks castle |
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| He likes to ride the horsey |
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| My two guys. I like to play 1-2-3 make a face. This time I said 1-2-3 happy face so Brayden smiled :) |
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| My boys hard at work |
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| Pressure washing our deck |
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| Look at the difference! |
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| We cleaned off the house too. . . this just shows the difference |
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| clapping |
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| This is Preston's Father's Day gift box. I covered a little box with fancy paper that matched the picture page and then made a matching little sign too. It's a "Top Pop" box full of everything pop I could think of (popcorn, pop tarts, lolly pops, and soda pop). Plus a couple little pages - one with a family picture and one with a poem and the boys traced footprints. |
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| Brayden watching the garbage truck go around the couldesac on its way to our house. |
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| waving at the garbage guy |
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| Add caption |
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| my big helper - insisted on carrying the recycle bin all by himself. |
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| Just hanging out on the bed |
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| Zander was intent on taking Sadie's toy. |
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