tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58173710400656053002024-03-08T15:29:36.127-07:00The Andelin'sThe Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-68236506337078520762013-01-03T23:30:00.001-07:002013-01-03T23:30:42.258-07:00Let no one think I gave in...<p dir=ltr>Sometimes when I say 'I'm okay', I really want someone to look me in the eye, hug me tight, and say 'I know you’re not okay'. Just because my eyes don’t tear doesn’t mean my heart doesn’t cry. And just because I come off strong, doesn’t mean there’s nothing wrong. The hardest part in life is trying to show the smile you know is fake, and to hide the tears that won’t stop. Behind this smile is everything you will never understand.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Let no one think I gave in. I took the high road, and for this I will be forever branded. I will carry a mark that can never be removed, and I accept that. For some, it will be a mark of disgrace and a cause for whispers. For those that have seen the low road, and the obvious sharp turn away, they will see my mark with understanding and will walk silently beside me as I work to learn from all of this.</p>
<p dir=ltr>I alone must make these decisions. Even though I know it will hurt me more to remain silent, I have never, and will never be a person that believes it necessary to hurt someone because I'm hurt. I can admit when I am wrong, and I can take responsibility for my actions. But I alone will know the extent of what was right and what was wrong in all of this. </p>
<p dir=ltr>I will move on, I will heal, I will get better. I WILL hold my head high. I will never let the pain from my past punish my present and paralyze my future. This will always follow me, but in my heart I know I was the better person for not taking anyone down with me, regardless if what was said was complete truth or not.</p>
<p dir=ltr>One day karma will knock, and you won't be able to lock your door. I honestly wish you luck.</p>
The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-51188171476978217472012-05-17T18:35:00.001-06:002012-05-17T18:35:09.973-06:00Midnight SnacksI have a few I'm sure will make you smile.<br />
<br />
Syd wakes me up at 4 a.m. by calling in the monitor. 'Mommy!' I lay there for a minute wishing Jesse was home cuz I'm dead tired. I slowly get up as she calls for me again. She's figured out the monitor thing. Call and they will come. I walk into her room and ask what she needs. <br />
'I go jump on the trampoline Mommy.' <br />
Umm... No. 'Go back to bed silly, it's night time.'<br />
'I go jump on the trampoline in the morning Mommy.'<br />
'Ok, in the morning. It's time for bed now.' She rolled over and went right back to sleep.<br />
<br />
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A few weeks later I get another 4 a.m. wake-up call. 'Mommy!' Ok, just get up and get this kid back to sleep. I walk in, and before I can ask... 'Mommy, I got a owey Mommy.' Ok... how? Rolling over on her baby bear? <br />
'How did you get an owey?'<br />
'I fall down on the trampoline Mommy. Right here!'<br />
I kiss it better and she is now ok to go back to sleep. Silly kid!<br />The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-9310207002960680502012-05-17T18:14:00.001-06:002012-05-17T18:14:10.029-06:00Careful what you wish for...<div style="text-align: left;">
I don't do this often because it's been proven true on many occasions, but today I did it again. I 'wished' for a call and it happened. There are two specific instances that stick out in my mind. The first one happened back in 2005 when I was very new.</div>
<br />
(Don't judge me. All EMTs think this way.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aprdAWFWRT0/T7WULDWLSZI/AAAAAAAAAMw/Lo0Zor9dUEg/s1600/dispatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aprdAWFWRT0/T7WULDWLSZI/AAAAAAAAAMw/Lo0Zor9dUEg/s320/dispatch.jpg" width="159" /></a>I was working grave shifts and my partner and I were listening to Fire radio just passing the time. There was an accident in the mouth of Parley's that involved a car that had gone throught the rail and down a very steep embankement, and the patient had been ejected. I turned to my partner and stated that I wished I could be on that call because I had never had an ejection. My partner agreed because he hadn't ever had one either. We listened for a little longer when another call had gone out for an accident on the other side of town in a residential area. We missed the details on that one because at the same time we were moved by our dispatch to another post. The moment we started driving we were dispatched on the call as a 3rd unit. We went en route with Fire just in time to hear updated details. Triple ejection accident! I won't go into the details of the call. I would be typing for a while. This was the first time I came into contact with this phenomenon. <br />
<br />
Fast forward almost 7 years....<br />
<br />
Today my partner turns to me and says, 'You know, we are about due for a shooting. It's been a while.' I countered with 'Or a stabbing. I haven't had one of those for a long time.' Just a few hours later we hear it. A 27D, shooting. Unfortunately, it's just outside of our area. Not more than an hour later... 27D, stabbing. Definitely outside of our area. But wait! Everyone else is out on a call! Yay! Thank you EMS Gods :)<br />The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-6833421400799772822012-04-08T23:24:00.000-06:002012-04-08T23:24:52.668-06:00Hi Daddy!Jesse asked me to update the blog and talk about Rylie. I told him I didn't know what to write, so he e-mailed this to me as a suggestion. Thought it would be something worth sharing.<br />
<br />
On St Patty's Day we had an appointment to find out what our baby will be. We invited the family to come. We had almost everyone there. The ultrasound tech came in looked and said there are 3 lines, meaning its a girl. Rylie Ann Andelin will be here around September 3rd, and we are all excited. About a week ago I had my head on Jo's belly. Rylie didn't like being laid on and kicked me, which is when felt her for the first time. Sydney is excited to have a little sister and wants to help take care of Rylie. We have a picture from the ultrasound on the fridge and Syd walks over to it and says "Kiss baby", so we have to pick her up so she can kiss the picture of her sister. Jo is 5 months along and Rylie is a mover. Sometimes I swear she is dancing.The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-62446960806590643272012-02-17T22:06:00.000-07:002012-02-17T22:06:24.089-07:00Hello little one!Today was the first appointment for the new addition. My only concern for the doctor was making sure there was only one heartbeat. My mom has been trying to convince me we are having twins. Scary thing is, twins and triplets run in my family. Not cool when it's a real possibility!<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I was very happy when we met with our new OB because in this office, they do an ultrasound on the first visit. Yay! We get to see the baby instead of just hear the heartbeat. First things first.... We are definitely having only ONE baby. Second.... This kid is active! Flips and tricks, it was hard getting a good look, but it was very exciting. The doctor even tried to get a look at what the sex might be, but of course, the umbilical cord was in the way. I guess we won't know for a few more weeks. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xsfq5PwZ-nE/Tz8xtSeo-lI/AAAAAAAAAMo/oD4D0ltPe1g/s1600/424511_10150614207852332_593822331_9191465_1110238721_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300px" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xsfq5PwZ-nE/Tz8xtSeo-lI/AAAAAAAAAMo/oD4D0ltPe1g/s400/424511_10150614207852332_593822331_9191465_1110238721_n.jpg" width="400px" yda="true" /></a></div>The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-79448997737964960912011-12-27T13:32:00.000-07:002011-12-27T13:32:29.376-07:00Merry Christmas honey, I'm pregnant!The week prior to Christmas was pretty devestating. That's when we found out that the manager in charge of the sales company Jesse worked for had taken all his paperwork out of the office and had been changing the information before turning it into the corporate offices. Long story short.... the $2,500 that he had made in sales since starting will never be seen by us because it was being deposited into the manager's account. The scramble for a new job started and I was sick to my stomach... I thought with anxiety. Luckily Jesse has about 16 years of experience in security and landed a job immediately, paying better than he was making as a supervisor at the last security job by about $4 and hour. Still nothing like what he was supposed to be making at this other job, and now we have a lot to make up for, but that stress was gone. However, that sick feeling didn't quite leave. <br />
<br />
For Christmas Eve morning my dad had decided he wanted to take the family out to breakfast at IHOP to "kick off the Christmas festivities. You know, like football." (I don't think he has ever watched football.) I already had a feeling what was going on so I had snuck to the store a few days before and gotten a few items, just in case I was right. That morning I got up before Jesse and took a test. Positive! Now my scheming mind was going. I quickly text Kalia and told her what was going on and that I needed her help with recording this announcement.<br />
<br />
We all arrived at IHOP and sat down to order. Syd had a little sore on her hand and wanted a bandaid. My mom had one in her purse and put it on her hand. Fortunately, for my plan, Syd wanted a bandaid for her other hand so they matched. (Kids...) I always keep my pack for work in my car, and since I'm a professional bandaid hander-outer, I went to get another one for her. Jesse was oblivious.<br />
<br />
When I came back I had the bandaid for Syd and a gift bag for Jesse. He was totally confused, especially since I had told him that morning that the gift bag was for my aunt. I told him it was his Christmas present and to open it. He opened the bag and smiled, then looked at me and asked "Really? Really?" In the bag was 2 onsies, a bottle and a pacifier. It was perfect. Merry Christmas honey, your present will be here in 9 months! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx30t8fodYUqsorvzDyNCaSBS6F9NwVMqAyQEa3IiKhpMxIXYgT0fxGRBRc0oEHqXaFA36WxZlUOk-KhYX15A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-83368373622554882972011-06-05T02:57:00.001-06:002011-06-08T21:57:47.411-06:00Working Heaven's Streets<div style="text-align: justify;">Well, the last 2 weeks have been full of anger and sadness. On May 22, my co-worker and friend was hit by a drunk driver while he was on his way to work. It sent a shockwave through the company. What a surreal event, to have one of your own be on the other side of the call. He was stopped at a light at 0600 when a drunk driver slammed into him at 80 mph, catapulting him into the cars in front of him causing severe head trauma. From the beginning we knew his recovery was questionable at best. There was just so much damage done, so fast, that it's amazing he even was alive when EMS arrived on scene. It's disgusting to me that someone could do this. Especially someone that had 3 previous DUI charges and a suspended license. The guy even tried to run! Fortunately there was an off duty officer that witnessed the accident and chased the guy down.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I've known Jon Bowers for almost 6 years now. We were never good friends by any means, but we were co-workers doing the same thankless job we all know and love. He was a good man, doing all the right things, and he lost his life at the young age of 31. The last time I saw him was just 3 days before the accident. He was my relief at work and was so kind to me. He offered to restock my ambulance from the calls that day so I could go home and see Sydney before bedtime. Who knew that would be the last time I would see him? Well, not the last. I visited him in the hospital the day after the accident. Unconscious, on a vent, drainage tube sticking out of his head. My parnter and I could barely keep the tears back. That was hard. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After fighting a long battle, Jon never regained consciousness and passed away on Memorial Day, May 30, 2011. Today was his funeral. He's working Heaven's streets now. God speed friend.</div><br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EMT-I Jonathan McKay Bowers<br />
September 29, 1979- May 30, 2011<br />
<br />
Last Call<br />
* * Tones * *<br />
<br />
Gold Cross Dispatch to EMT- Intermediate Jonathan Bowers.....<br />
Gold Cross Dispatch to EMT- Intermediate Jonathan Bowers.....<br />
Attention all Gold Cross personnel and other listening agencies. There is no response from EMT-Intermediate Jonathan Bowers....<br />
EMT Intermediate Jonathan McKay Bowers answered his last call on May 30th 2011, and has been reassigned to The Lord's Unit of Heroes.<br />
Jon, we thank you for your service, selflessly working to better the lives of the sick and injured, your compassion, dedication and professionalism will not be forgotten.<br />
Your new duties will be to watch over your family, EMS community, and mankind. <br />
You have been released to make your final journey home.<br />
Gold Cross Ambulance clear 1347.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">THE FINAL INSPECTION <br />
<br />
The paramedic stood to face their God, which must always come to pass.<br />
They hoped their boots were shining, just as brightly as their brass.<br />
<br />
"Step forward now, Paramedic. How shall I deal with you?<br />
Have you always turned the other cheek? To my church have you been true?"<br />
<br />
The paramedic squared their shoulders and said, "No Lord, I guess I ain't,<br />
Because those of us who save mens' lives can't always be a saint.<br />
<br />
I've had to work most Sundays, and at times my talk was rough.<br />
Sometimes it seems I'm heartless, because the streets are awfully tough.<br />
<br />
But I never took a penny that wasn't mine to keep...<br />
Though I worked a lot of overtime when the bills got too steep.<br />
<br />
I never passed a cry for help, though at times I shook with fear.<br />
And sometimes, God forgive me, I've wept so many tears.<br />
<br />
I know I don't deserve a place among the people here.<br />
They never wanted me around except to calm their fear.<br />
<br />
If you've got a place for me here, Lord, it needn't be so grand.<br />
I never expected or had too much, so if you don't...I'll understand."<br />
<br />
There was silence all around the throne where the saints often trod.<br />
As the paramedic waited quietly, for the judgment of their God.<br />
<br />
"Step forward now, Paramedic. You've borne your burdens well.<br />
Come work a shift on Heaven's streets - you've done your time in Hell."<br />
<br />
Author Unknown</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-84085183317661680222011-05-17T18:08:00.000-06:002011-05-17T18:08:41.953-06:00So... I totally forgot I had a blog! Now I have a TON to catch up on. Or I can just start from where we are now. That might be easiest. <br />
<br />
Syd is 17 months now. She is talking and signing like a pro. She loves to draw and play outside with her dogs. She's been very healthy and growing like a weed, as all kids do. I could spend all day talking about everything that has changed in the last few months, but I honestly just don't care to write that much! So instead I will pull up a few pictures and start new tomorrow. (Let's be honest... probably won't start new for a week or more!)<br />
<br />
Among the other changes is Juno. We loved her a ton, but with a couple contributing factors we decided to find her a new home. I put her up on KSL and waited for the calls... that didn't come. Nobody was interested in an 8 year old lab. But I kept up on the posting to give her a chance. There was no way I would take her to a shelter. I wanted to make sure she went to a good home. Right when we were going to give up hope I got a text. She was a single mom of 4 that had just lost their dog. She was desperately looking for a new companion for herself and her kids. I told her to bring the kids over to meet Juno. It was awesome. The moment the kids (ages 6-12) walked in the door she was hopping like a rabbit! It was a love at first sight type of thing. She left with them and never looked back.<br />
<br />
The mom text me the other day and wanted to let me know how good she was doing and how much they loved her. Her 6 year old boy even told her that he loves Juno as much as he loves her. (How cute!) She also lets Juno lay next to her in bed at night, takes her for walks, and gives her so much attention. It's kinda like she was meant to end up there.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy, I will cwean up after da doggy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6_nC2p2wMJA/TdMMEOJN23I/AAAAAAAAALY/pPxMJl3Bbuc/s1600/352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" j8="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6_nC2p2wMJA/TdMMEOJN23I/AAAAAAAAALY/pPxMJl3Bbuc/s640/352.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wuv my mamma!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hewwooo??? I would wike my massage now peese.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-49410158118826673282010-12-08T10:08:00.000-07:002010-12-08T10:08:37.089-07:00Playing Catch Up<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">I've gotten lazy with my posting. Who doesn't though? Syd is learning how to keep herself entertained for the most part so my job has turned into keeping her out of the dog's water bowl. She likes to dip her feet in the water. Socks and all. She thinks it's a game. She'll reach her hand toward the water and wait for me to say something. Of course I oblige and say, "Sydney.... no, no. Yucky." And as I stand up and start walking toward her she sqeals and tries to run away. (Yeah, she's walking now.) Since she's new to this whole walking thing she can only take a few running steps before she stumbles and falls to her hands and knees and starts crawling as fast as she can, giggling the whole time because she knows that at any moment I'm about to pick her up and tickle her. And as if that's not cute enough on it's own, she's starting to talk. Mostly just the infant ramblings that make you smile, until she sees her doggies. Yup, her first word is doggy. She loves those two furry mutts.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">The other day my cousin's kid had a dance concert at her high school. We didn't plan on staying long so I didn't bother with finding a babysitter. Sydney loves music anyway. It was the best dance concert I've been to, and not because of the performers. She danced to every song. It was like she couldn't stop herself! Even when she was so tired she was starting to fall asleep. She would suddenly sit up and start rocking to the music again, then rest her head back on my shoulder for about 30 seconds before doing it again. (I managed to get some video of her dancing and as soon as I can upload it from my phone I'll post it.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Here are a few photos from the last month or so.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3DsyzfFI/AAAAAAAAAKc/UhHIV1ask0o/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3DsyzfFI/AAAAAAAAAKc/UhHIV1ask0o/s320/018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-2-3TPtZI/AAAAAAAAAKU/g0ANYrOrkFQ/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-2-3TPtZI/AAAAAAAAAKU/g0ANYrOrkFQ/s320/013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3j6rH0NI/AAAAAAAAAKk/opLu_FccUeU/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3j6rH0NI/AAAAAAAAAKk/opLu_FccUeU/s320/020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3aQ7ocRI/AAAAAAAAAKg/QTgan1FD3ek/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3aQ7ocRI/AAAAAAAAAKg/QTgan1FD3ek/s320/019.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3rD1_zwI/AAAAAAAAAKo/kjYvWftqclM/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3rD1_zwI/AAAAAAAAAKo/kjYvWftqclM/s320/025.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3wO5aW9I/AAAAAAAAAKs/YasHY-notDM/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; width: 340px;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TP-3wO5aW9I/AAAAAAAAAKs/YasHY-notDM/s320/029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-24256087291366837282010-09-21T16:35:00.001-06:002010-09-21T16:44:39.663-06:00On the MoveSydney has learned to crawl. Need I say more? It's fun to watch, but it definitely comes with some headaches! She loves to pull things off shelves, chase and feed the dogs, and follow us from room-to-room. Here's a few updates on what's been going on the last few weeks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvOkfmvSI/AAAAAAAAAJI/dxDRN33qTps/s1600/IMG00213-20100904-1230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvOkfmvSI/AAAAAAAAAJI/dxDRN33qTps/s640/IMG00213-20100904-1230.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Petting her big doggy, Juno.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvTmghSII/AAAAAAAAAJY/K_EPM-gQcWc/s1600/IMG00247-20100912-0924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" qx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvTmghSII/AAAAAAAAAJY/K_EPM-gQcWc/s640/IMG00247-20100912-0924.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with S'mores.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvWNsqUEI/AAAAAAAAAJg/pde64eoR7wk/s1600/IMG00259-20100913-1624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" qx="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvWNsqUEI/AAAAAAAAAJg/pde64eoR7wk/s640/IMG00259-20100913-1624.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Updating her Facebook account.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvfL2gKXI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/eD0bWG-dkww/s1600/IMG00314-20100920-1520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvfL2gKXI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/eD0bWG-dkww/s640/IMG00314-20100920-1520.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found the doggy door.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvQ-q2srI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/qeJzRPDfbAk/s1600/IMG00220-20100905-1532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" qx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvQ-q2srI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/qeJzRPDfbAk/s640/IMG00220-20100905-1532.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating steak with grandma.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkwmN4Fq-I/AAAAAAAAAKI/GKHB9i-9_WI/s1600/stairs.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="409" qx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkwmN4Fq-I/AAAAAAAAAKI/GKHB9i-9_WI/s640/stairs.bmp" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learned how to climb the stairs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvigg1rtI/AAAAAAAAAKA/64BVciMUz6k/s1600/IMG00315-20100920-1545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" qx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvigg1rtI/AAAAAAAAAKA/64BVciMUz6k/s640/IMG00315-20100920-1545.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ate spaghetti.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvYx33mZI/AAAAAAAAAJo/tMx_edsaYMs/s1600/IMG00312-20100920-0905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="596" qx="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvYx33mZI/AAAAAAAAAJo/tMx_edsaYMs/s640/IMG00312-20100920-0905.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nap time with mommy after all that playing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvboOuODI/AAAAAAAAAJw/5Kz2gufqouc/s1600/IMG00313-20100920-0916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TJkvboOuODI/AAAAAAAAAJw/5Kz2gufqouc/s640/IMG00313-20100920-0916.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too bright! I'll just pull this pillow over my eyes and go to sleep.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-54457062365127823662010-08-18T15:48:00.002-06:002010-08-18T16:07:07.328-06:00PhotographyFor many years now, I've thought about doing some photography. I've always loved taking pictures, and I'd like to think that I have somewhat of an 'eye' for good shots. This last weekend I borrowed my dad's Nikon D40 to use at Candace's wedding. They had a photographer coming to do photos, but I remembered from my own wedding that the best pictures I have were from other people taking pictures. It's the candid shots that capture the real people. Also, my photographer decided to leave before we cut the cake, danced, threw the bouquet, and tossed the garter. That still makes me mad. Thanks to others, I still managed to get pictures of the rest of the wedding. I wasn't going to let that happen to my best friend. That's something you just can't get back. So, I took pictures. 533 to be exact.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After going through my photos with Jesse, he asked if photgraphy was something I would like to do. Of course, he hit the nail on the head. Yes! I would love to do some photography. So now for the last couple of days, we've been looking at cameras, lenses, etc. I'm seriously considering starting our own photgraphy business on the side. Weddings, family pics, etc. Thankfully, I know plenty of people in the business. I've already gotten a ton of advise. Over the next few months we're going to put a lot of effort into getting this business up and running. Now for the easy part. What to name the business.....</div><br />
Here are a few pictures I took, and some editing in photoshop I've been playing with.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TGxT259oB6I/AAAAAAAAAI0/zcj39CWt7wM/s1600/DSC_1314+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TGxT259oB6I/AAAAAAAAAI0/zcj39CWt7wM/s320/DSC_1314+copy.jpg" width="202" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TGxTy47ZsMI/AAAAAAAAAIo/GiyzDFDSsZk/s1600/DSC_0183+-+Copy+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="341" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TGxTy47ZsMI/AAAAAAAAAIo/GiyzDFDSsZk/s400/DSC_0183+-+Copy+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TGxTpuOZDKI/AAAAAAAAAIU/HyHgK47WBy0/s1600/DSC_0024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TGxTpuOZDKI/AAAAAAAAAIU/HyHgK47WBy0/s400/DSC_0024.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TGxW_Hmg6AI/AAAAAAAAAI8/RtaCnMyKyPQ/s1600/DSC_1065+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TGxW_Hmg6AI/AAAAAAAAAI8/RtaCnMyKyPQ/s320/DSC_1065+copy.jpg" width="187" /></a></div>The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-22739297492097509372010-08-16T01:35:00.002-06:002010-08-16T01:37:42.041-06:00Midnight SnacksTonight was a first for me. Syd has learned to sit up all by herself this week. I was laying in bed tonight when I heard her start fussing on the monitor. I went to go check on her and found her sitting up in the middle of her crib crying. As soon as she saw me, her arms went straight up in the air, wanting me to pick her up. That made my heart melt! I had to pick her up for a few minutes for some mommy daughter cuddle loves. She amazes me more and more every day!The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-38363583145143233662010-08-05T21:55:00.003-06:002010-08-05T22:07:43.175-06:00Midnight SnacksSyd is growing crazy fast! Today she had two major leaps. (I don't know if that's a good thing for us.) The first happened while I was at work. We've been using a bouncy seat to keep her busy when we've got stuff to do like cleaning, eating, etc. Well, Jesse had set her in it, in front of the tv, and had gone upstairs to change so he could run some errands. We know she has been able to hold herself upright, and lean forward to get things on the floor around her. Sometimes she's leaned too far forward and bonked her head on the ground.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want that sqeaky toy the doggies always play with!</td></tr>
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Today though, she went a step further, and executed an escape plan! Jesse heard a thump downstairs, and waited for a cry, thinking she had bumped her head on the ground like usual. Nothing......still nothing.... weird.... maybe I should check on her? As he came down the stairs, he found her out of the bouncy seat, on the floor, and attempting to get away!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I got this far, and now my foot is stuck!</td></tr>
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Now for what happened tonight. Jesse went in to work early tonight for an extra shift. It was about Sydney's bed time so I took her upstairs to her room and set her on the ground to roll around and play until she was tired enough to put her to bed easier. After watching her play for a bit I decided I would go change out of my work clothes and plug in my dying phone. I couldn't have been gone from her room for more than 2 minutes when I saw this.....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFuDsSyRCrI/AAAAAAAAAHc/F0IduS8v0zs/s1600/IMG00988-20100805-2024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFuDsSyRCrI/AAAAAAAAAHc/F0IduS8v0zs/s640/IMG00988-20100805-2024.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I see you Mommy!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFuDt2TORTI/AAAAAAAAAHk/jL_zOAFGH5s/s1600/IMG00989-20100805-2025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFuDt2TORTI/AAAAAAAAAHk/jL_zOAFGH5s/s640/IMG00989-20100805-2025.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm coming!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oooh, mommy and daddy's room!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta take a break for a minute. That was a long trip!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFuDz2CFSGI/AAAAAAAAAH8/GJJ-Pf0cMNs/s1600/IMG00998-20100805-2030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFuDz2CFSGI/AAAAAAAAAH8/GJJ-Pf0cMNs/s640/IMG00998-20100805-2030.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found you mommy! PICK ME UP!!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFuD1smZ1iI/AAAAAAAAAIE/GFdO0MoaVDE/s1600/IMG01004-20100805-2031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFuD1smZ1iI/AAAAAAAAAIE/GFdO0MoaVDE/s640/IMG01004-20100805-2031.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rewarded with cuddle loves :)</td></tr>
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Silly kid. I just sat on my bed and watched her chat and army crawl all the way into the bedroom. I think we are in a lot of trouble with this one!The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-7156382028893344032010-08-03T10:07:00.000-06:002010-08-03T10:07:47.238-06:00JunoAfter looking up many names, in many languages, we have decided on Juno. I was hoping to find a unique name that meant white, dog, snow, etc. Anything that would fit her description and sound neat. While googleing a ton of languages, I happened upon Juneau, also spelled Juno. It fits. At least a lot better than Lady Bug did...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFg-xiHZ6tI/AAAAAAAAAHE/l2XkkOX6kHo/s1600/lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TFg-xiHZ6tI/AAAAAAAAAHE/l2XkkOX6kHo/s640/lady.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-91978536388445491652010-08-02T23:30:00.001-06:002010-08-03T10:01:13.849-06:00Therapy DogsFor a while now I've been thinking about training a therapy dog. I took a flying leap and thought if we got a pit bull young enough we could train him to be a therapy dog, simultainiously getting a good name out for that breed. Gizmo was that attempt, but that obviously didn't work out. At all.<br />
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We just got a golden lab today. She's 7 years old, pure bred, and almost white in color, which I love. She's amazing so far. I haven't heard anything out of her yet. No grunts, no barks, nothing. The family that gave her to us, free I might add, had gotten her years ago as a therapy dog for their boy with downs syndrome. Recently though, he has been trying to mimick they family and has been taking her out for a walk on his own. They live on a VERY busy street. (4100 S. 4200 W. for those of you who know where that is.) He has been rescued from the street mulitple times while trying to get the dog that has wandered towards traffic. In the end, they just can't keep her and risk having their boy get hit by a car.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's not going to take too much more work to get her certified as an actual therapy dog. She's very docile, very friendly. Doesn't jump up on anyone, just comes up to you and sits, waiting to be pet. It's perfect!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>My one and only complaint for this dog is her name.... Lady Bug?!? That's why you don't let your kids name the dog. Even Lady, for short, isn't going to fly with me. So not a fan of the name in any way. So the hardest thing we have to deal with is coming up with a new name. That shouldn't be too hard, right? 10 hours later she's still nameless.... I'll sleep on it.The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-85024048803448986272010-07-25T19:35:00.052-06:002010-07-27T17:19:25.126-06:00There's a first time for everything...Lately Sydney has been progressing at a breakneck speed. She's trying and doing so many new things that it's hard to keep track! Here's just a few examples of what has happened in the last few weeks...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEznZMXTWHI/AAAAAAAAAGU/ITddWXqhaHI/s1600/crawlingt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" hw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEznZMXTWHI/AAAAAAAAAGU/ITddWXqhaHI/s640/crawlingt.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learned how to get up on her hands and knees. She'll be crawling soon!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEznMgHzLmI/AAAAAAAAAF0/aQ_69DXX1Gs/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" hw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEznMgHzLmI/AAAAAAAAAF0/aQ_69DXX1Gs/s640/books.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figured out how to pull her books down.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ate some corn-on-the-cob with Grandma. Well, licked it mostly.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decided she likes pickles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEznbc_LkAI/AAAAAAAAAGc/eMcg54XLjB4/s1600/icecream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" hw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEznbc_LkAI/AAAAAAAAAGc/eMcg54XLjB4/s640/icecream.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decided she likes ice cream even more.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEznd8CA3GI/AAAAAAAAAGk/MexSP-SWFFg/s1600/cart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" hw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEznd8CA3GI/AAAAAAAAAGk/MexSP-SWFFg/s640/cart.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rode in a shopping cart without her carseat, and LOVED it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took a bath without her infant tub. (How nice of her to keep herself decent so I could take a picture!)</td></tr>
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It's hard to believe she's only 7 1/2 months! I thought I'd have more time before we had to baby proof the place. Everyone keeps telling me she's just like me when I was her age. I guess what goes around comes around. I hope Kalia survives.... she was a terror as a kid!!!The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-63490229394951004192010-07-22T14:20:00.016-06:002010-07-25T01:09:13.202-06:00Midnight Snacks<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEiqaxZo8bI/AAAAAAAAAEE/6JHTBxt8ito/s1600/56.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEiqaxZo8bI/AAAAAAAAAEE/6JHTBxt8ito/s320/56.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496830722119889330" /></a><br />
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I've started to notice something with Sydney. No matter where you put her in her crib for bedtime, she always seems to migrate over to her stuffed animals. Last night she did just that. She was all cuddled up with her stuffed animals, butt up in the air (that was a first), and sleeping peacefully. Jesse threw a blanket over her and we went to bed.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEit0dJBCBI/AAAAAAAAAEU/marebi7QvGU/s1600/55.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEit0dJBCBI/AAAAAAAAAEU/marebi7QvGU/s320/55.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496834461892937746" /></a><br />
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Sometimes I like to peak in early in the morning before I head to work. Every now and then I get lucky and she's awake so I can play with her for a few minutes before heading out. (I'm sure Jesse loves the thought of me getting her all wound up at 6:30 in the morning then leaving her to talk at him through the monitor.) This morning she was sleeping, but sometime during the night she decided to take a trip. I guess she didn't want that blanket after all? That kid can always make me smile.The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-31618013268965134822010-07-21T08:22:00.001-06:002010-07-22T15:15:06.674-06:00Midnight Snacks(This will be a little series of sorts for Sydney's funny antics at night.)<br />
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Sydney does the funniest things while she's sleeping. Here's a quick example...<br />
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I like to check on her before I go to bed to make sure she's doesn't have her arm or leg sticking out of the crib. (She likes to do that a lot for fun.) Last night when I checked on her I had the hardest time not laughing out loud and waking her up. I went and got Jesse so he could see her, too.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEcEsopia1I/AAAAAAAAAD8/b9iABhXuJkg/s1600/GetAttachment23.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEcEsopia1I/AAAAAAAAAD8/b9iABhXuJkg/s320/GetAttachment23.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496367035101375314" /></a>She usually doesn't sleep with a blanket because it's too hot in her room, but every so often we find her wrapped up in her blanket, by her own doing. Last night was one of those nights.<br />
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Well I didn't want to leave her stuck in the corner with her head against the rail so I asked Jesse if he thought he might be able to mover her without waking her up. I wish I had a picture of what happened next! He pulled the blanket down and started to slide her toward the middle of the crib. She startled a little and latched onto her stuffed monkey she was cuddled up next to. Of course, monkey went sliding with her as she did a reverse Superman across the crib. So funny!The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-90762903114834674132010-07-20T18:15:00.000-06:002010-07-20T18:43:49.939-06:00On blogging...I wasn't expecting this, but I find myself thinking throughout the day of what I can blog about. Weird! I'm sure after a few weeks the novelty of it all will wear off and I'll get behind on it like everyone else seems to do. I do find it kind of fun though!<br /><br />I got an e-mail from Kalia today that I'm totally stoked about. She is on her mission in Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Spanish speaking). I miss her tons, along with Shan, who is in Portugal. Neither have met Sydney yet. Shan left 4 days after Jesse and I were married. I barely got back from my honeymoon in time to say good-bye to him. Kalia followed about 3 months later. (3 weeks after Amren got home from Poland.) Talk about a busy summer!!! Neither Kalia or Shan have met Sydney yet, which I still get bugged about from time-to-time. She'll be just over a year old when they get back.<br /><br />Focus!!!<br /><br />Before I went off on something completely random, I had a point.<br /><br />OH LOOK, A SHINY OBJECT!!!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEZCe5VTH3I/AAAAAAAAAD0/02YPwh5pGig/s1600/death-star-disco.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEZCe5VTH3I/AAAAAAAAAD0/02YPwh5pGig/s320/death-star-disco.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496153493805932402" /></a><br />Kidding ;)<br /><br />So the e-mail... Kalia just announced that although she is on a Spanish speaking mission, and she only has about 6 months left, they have decided to put her into the ASL program. (Sign Language for my non-thinkers out there lol.) I'm way super excited because that is one thing I can relate to.I have taken ASL in high school and college, and although I may have forgotten a lot of it, I do still remember plenty. She'll be speaking my language, yay! I'm planning on spending the next few months refreshing my memory so I can surprise her when she walks off that plane. (She doesn't know anything of my diabolical plan... MUAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!)<br /><br />This should be fun!The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-83503317798752367712010-07-19T13:14:00.000-06:002010-07-19T13:40:01.979-06:00Peace and quiet at last!!!Gizmo has been gone for about 3 hours now. I can't believe the difference already. I loved that dog, but he just wasn't right for our family. I hadn't realized until now how withdrawn S'mores had become. We've thrown away ALL her toys because Gizmo had destroyed them (go figure) and hadn't bought her any new ones. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TESpmapTv1I/AAAAAAAAADA/mpGowu0gp7g/s1600/IMG00843-20100718-1556.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TESpmapTv1I/AAAAAAAAADA/mpGowu0gp7g/s320/IMG00843-20100718-1556.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495703922751553362" /></a>She was never able to have a rawhide of her own because he was always chasing her down and stealing them, and we had given up on the whole treat idea (same problem). I could never really play with her, or throw toys around for her to chase since every time I did Gizmo would literally body check her into a wall so she couldn't get to the toy first. It had become too dangerous to have them playing together so we just didn't play anymore. But, since he's been gone, she's been running EVERYWHERE!!! Kinda like a freedom victory dance, ha ha! She's also been taking advantage of being able to stretch out on the couch again. I haven't seen her like this for a few months now and it makes me happy she can have her space again. I'll miss him, but definitely not his bad behavior. He has a lot of good potential. I'm sure he'll be happy with the right family. We still want a second dog, but I'm thinking maybe a small one this time. It won't happen for a while, but eventually we'll start looking again.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TESpP_HVPfI/AAAAAAAAAC4/R1DfNX9t3A0/s1600/IMG00764-20100707-0521.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TESpP_HVPfI/AAAAAAAAAC4/R1DfNX9t3A0/s320/IMG00764-20100707-0521.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495703537404165618" /></a>The one good thing we can take from this whole experience is that S'mores has finally learned how to play with other dogs. She was never ok with anything on 4 legs before, but they got to be pretty decent friends I think.The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-74113012957295287292010-07-19T08:11:00.000-06:002010-07-19T13:14:29.701-06:00Bye Gizmo<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TERhY5WDA4I/AAAAAAAAACg/WsabMWE42AU/s1600/GetAttachment11.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TERhY5WDA4I/AAAAAAAAACg/WsabMWE42AU/s200/GetAttachment11.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495624525636895618" /></a><br />I've had it with my pit bull. We're taking him to the Humane Society today for another family to find him. I've been tolerant of his barking, bullying S'mores, jumping on people, and even chewing a few things, until that moved to walls, furniture, and blankets. His list of destruction has included my baby blanket from my grandma, Jesse's recliner from his grandpa (who has since passed away), my couch, coffee table, carpet, rug, and the list goes on.<br /><br />I was hoping we could break him of the habit because pit bulls have a tendancy to chew and I knew that going into this, but it's just getting worse. It doesn't even matter if he has 5 chew toys and a few rawhides right next next to him, he'll still grab the remote. I then thought, maybe it's just anxiety? No, he's just a chewer, and we can't have that at our new place. We barely talked our landlord into letting us bring him in the first place. Her biggest concern? Chewing the walls. Seriously. So that was the final straw. Hopefully he goes to a family that can figure out his trick. Good luck Gizzers.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TERg6XsQFwI/AAAAAAAAACY/ItAvm7Hls8g/s1600/GetAttachment.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TERg6XsQFwI/AAAAAAAAACY/ItAvm7Hls8g/s320/GetAttachment.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495624001207146242" /></a>The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-48058135894986977792010-07-16T17:49:00.000-06:002010-07-16T22:19:53.605-06:00Preslee...I have been following Preslee's story this week, and my heart has been torn apart for the family. In my job I deal a lot with life and death and tragedies, but I can't think of anything that has stuck with me so much as this. Preslee passed away today after struggling for her life at Primary Children's this past week. At times she has seemed to be doing better, and then it seemed like she was barely hanging on to life. I can't even begin to imagine how I could deal with something like this had it been Sydney in that hospital room. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. Her parents have been so strong in all of this. It has definitely left an impression in my life and Preslee will always have a special place in my heart. I wrote them a comment that I'd like to share. I felt very strongly I had to write something to them to show my love and support to their situation.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEEvI4bDBPI/AAAAAAAAACI/tXZnyTYw2sg/s1600/preslee.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TEEvI4bDBPI/AAAAAAAAACI/tXZnyTYw2sg/s320/preslee.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494724850000004338" /></a><br /><br />"People come into this world with a purpose. We don't know what that is, and we don't know when that purpose will be fulfilled, but I strongly believe that your beautiful little girl has done more in her short time on earth than anyone could hope to do in a lifetime. Her story, her fight for life, has reached thousands of people and has changed countless lives, and will continue to do so. My gut has been in knots, and my heart torn apart, for all that you are going through. A friend of mine also lost their little girl early from this life, and the family had me in awe. They all wore white to her funeral instead of the traditional black. The father spoke and said, "We do not mourn the loss of our child, but celebrate her life and the opportunity we had of knowing her for as long as we did. She has touched so many lives and we would never trade the time we were allowed to have with her." Celebrate Preslee's life. Celebrate knowing all the lives she has touched, all the families that she has brought closer together, and most of all, all the people she has brought closer to her Heavenly Father. Do not be sad for her. She could not be happier where she is. She will always be with you and watching over you. Be happy knowing she stands in Heaven holding His hand. She has fulfilled her purpose in life. She was born onto this earth at this time for something greater than anyone could have hoped for. Be proud of Preslee, and remember that when you see her again, she will be running into your arms and welcoming you home. The EMS community here in Salt Lake is a little more quiet today and holds you in their thoughts and hearts. Be strong"The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5817371040065605300.post-51468109441312611292010-07-15T16:58:00.000-06:002010-07-15T19:02:30.276-06:00Where to begin?I've debated over this for about a year now, and I finally decided to give in. I don't usually like to write things about myself or what I'm thinking. I've never been good about keeping a journal or anything like it. I prefer to keep a visual journal of my life with pictures and videos, but having a blog will hopefully help me to get better about writing stuff down.<br /><br /> I came to this decision after following a blog of a family that had their little girl suffer from a near drowning and is now at Primary Children's watching her fight for her life. The love and support people are giving them from literally all over the world is amazing. I find myself checking it multiple times a day for an update as to how she is doing. She's a fighter. Check out the blog if you get the chance at http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/<br /><br /> This blog will give me the chance to keep family and friends update on day-to-day life easily and more personally than I could do on Facebook or MySpace. Hopefully I can keep up on it!<br /><br /> Ok, here it goes...<br /><br /> We are still working on unpacking in our new place. We just recently moved into a town home. I gotta say, I love all the space! Having a yard is great for the dogs to run around in, especially for Gizmo. He's a pure bred pitt bull puppy, about 7 months old. Talk about energy! He's loving it and I think S'mores is enjoying having a break with him always wanting to chase her around the house. It will be nice for Sydney as well when she finally starts walking. I don't think we will have long to wait for that. She's ready to move and get into things!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TD-vAS8ehmI/AAAAAAAAACA/5tbH6rgH5oo/s1600/37760_415818852331_593822331_4498358_3304362_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZKYTRfqfErc/TD-vAS8ehmI/AAAAAAAAACA/5tbH6rgH5oo/s320/37760_415818852331_593822331_4498358_3304362_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494302490035652194" /></a> We are still waiting for our pool key, but until then I pulled out the little blow up pool and filled it up in the backyard for Sydney to play in. She absolutely loved it! She splashed and rolled around and smiled and laughed the whole time. (The dogs thought it was a giant water bowl so they benefited as well.) She's going to be an active kid.<br /><br /> As for Jesse and I, we couldn't be happier. He just recently started back at Peak Alarm doing security patrol up on Park City. It's a grave shift so I don't see him as much, but it makes the times I do spend with Jesse a lot more meanningful. It's a great job with a lot of advancement opportunities in the future. Things are looking like they are finally heading in a good direction for us. Sydney is keeping us pretty busy, she's changing day by day and showing a lot of advancement. She's always smiling and laughing and very healthy. We couldn't be happier with our small but healthy family.The Andelin'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00235770789522917140noreply@blogger.com4