tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15099498196541649712024-02-19T16:23:11.084-08:00Reynolds Family In ProgressA blog about a family living in South California doing their best to change their world one step at a time.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-13444249581415508492009-10-21T16:18:00.000-07:002009-10-21T16:36:36.202-07:00The Family Moved (Again)<div>Yup- we moved- again. This time into a nice new house of our very own. No more renting from crazy people. 43 days in that house was about 42 1/2 days too many I tell you. Of course we were once again blessed with wonderful rainy weather to move in. </div><br /><div><br />Unpacking has been a fun adventure. Our belongings were spread out into 2 different storage units plus the rental house. On the plus side I have finally found the cord that I needed to download pictures from my digital camera. I have a file full of pictures of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CK's</span> house. CK would be our landlady for the 43 days we lived in hell, I mean her rental house. C stands for Crazy and K would be the first letter of her name. </div><br /><div><div><div><div></div><div>However, after much <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">deliberation</span> I have decided not to post pictures of our 43 day home. I would prefer to leave those memories in the past and move on to our nice, clean new house.<br /></div><div>I have a little bit of unpacking left to do- mostly the boxes that the Dad needs to go through. But all of those boxes have been relegated to the garage. As a result the inside of the house is shaping up nicely and I have a few pictures of the main floor great room to share. Enjoy (we sure are). </div><br /><br /><div>The main floor "great room" is really a big L shaped room consisting of living room, dining area and kitchen.<br /><br />The Front Entry </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqi4CIN7kAf2wuoOaRReT4084ayqPsuznxdxn4NX5DK01KGEk-NEbHpc_Z9CoHfvZqN8NPrn6Ds9t_uhSHI4El_NbjoBNd2T8FbswYLTsdcF5XGs-RkYhCVAZ9X9trH9eqzEUSXWeQk0/s1600-h/Minnesota+2009+047.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395198869322041778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 192px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqi4CIN7kAf2wuoOaRReT4084ayqPsuznxdxn4NX5DK01KGEk-NEbHpc_Z9CoHfvZqN8NPrn6Ds9t_uhSHI4El_NbjoBNd2T8FbswYLTsdcF5XGs-RkYhCVAZ9X9trH9eqzEUSXWeQk0/s200/Minnesota+2009+047.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br />The Living Room<br /><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmMfwpevTp6891iPI2zeXroc9S5usGEwL0IYGhr6EnnPU2zh_Q-4XlVb2YccplRt04zoADXuW6RRWxVG2I835Js363lCMgkG342wskkFEI7X7H3BE7Igl1WEle2E8nHFSn75TBRFBkqQ/s1600-h/Minnesota+2009+046.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395199190882244018" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmMfwpevTp6891iPI2zeXroc9S5usGEwL0IYGhr6EnnPU2zh_Q-4XlVb2YccplRt04zoADXuW6RRWxVG2I835Js363lCMgkG342wskkFEI7X7H3BE7Igl1WEle2E8nHFSn75TBRFBkqQ/s200/Minnesota+2009+046.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div>Dining Room<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmqoXbrYQsQUA4DmaGIGLHXFPb8Q3Bv-bi4rjXhy-jlDrlMLAfJyeOa9ncyJRpydI_u0ANP9Ck0eY-0cBCHrH45l71xGkX8QBvmFjAFbWrboN8Q1DmgoRRGA9q8KIVBwR1t6ognYkdLE/s1600-h/Minnesota+2009+044.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395199433557808082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmqoXbrYQsQUA4DmaGIGLHXFPb8Q3Bv-bi4rjXhy-jlDrlMLAfJyeOa9ncyJRpydI_u0ANP9Ck0eY-0cBCHrH45l71xGkX8QBvmFjAFbWrboN8Q1DmgoRRGA9q8KIVBwR1t6ognYkdLE/s200/Minnesota+2009+044.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div> </div>Kitchen<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbm8ur4jcDvDyEWLvAMVXIaA88WAwmoVnY3dcbjnBE2ILceBX49f9-3wBvpBkVPTbo5Bt6g0tdY2UJXy0toGqR9TJiw9EmQeEPwVlZ8ZHsMJfdp7pHbploxQOiXLxgVe1MvMiFgGbYH-E/s1600-h/Minnesota+2009+045.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395200968892734690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 177px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 207px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbm8ur4jcDvDyEWLvAMVXIaA88WAwmoVnY3dcbjnBE2ILceBX49f9-3wBvpBkVPTbo5Bt6g0tdY2UJXy0toGqR9TJiw9EmQeEPwVlZ8ZHsMJfdp7pHbploxQOiXLxgVe1MvMiFgGbYH-E/s200/Minnesota+2009+045.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div> </div></div></div></div>The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-72947811788610511782009-09-21T16:56:00.001-07:002009-09-21T17:00:57.107-07:00The Grand total for the MoveAdding everything up for the big move from California to Minnesota we have:<br /><br />One 26 foot <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Uhaul</span><br />one 12 foot trailer<br />One ambulance ride<br />4 hours in the ER<br />30 hours of driving time<br />2 nights in hotels that allow pets<br />2 visits from the police (her dogs attacked a neighbor on the morning we moved in)<br />1 visit from the local news wanting to do a story on the "attack dogs"<br />2 broken fingers (one each for the Boy and the Mom).<br />38 houses toured<br />2 houses we made offers on (one was pulled off the market right before we put in the offer)<br />1 10 x 20 storage unit because most of our stuff wouldn't fit through the narrow doorways. <br />1 house that we will close on at the end of the month<br /><br />and numerous tears, bruises and hours spent cursing K.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-38580368727207687762009-09-21T16:42:00.000-07:002009-09-21T16:56:06.356-07:00The family goes ghetto?After 3 full days (like 14 hour days in the car) of driving we finally made it to town. Our lease started on the 15<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> and we showed up on the 18<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span>. Our landlady- K- was there to meet us and give us the keys to our rental house. Our elation over being "home" was short lived.<br />She informed me before opening the door that is was her "birthday and she didn't want to have to move anything today." Strange but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ok</span>- I am not going to make her help us unload the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Uhaul</span>. Then she opened the front door..... yup- I was going to make her move on her birthday.<br />She was going to have to move because 4 days into my lease she still hadn't moved out yet! As in dishes in the dishwasher, the baby's crib upstairs, clothes in the dryer, etc. The stench of the house was nearly overwhelming. Dog fur so thick in the basement you could have made a dozen pillows with it. Carpets so dirty I had to empty the good old Dyson once or twice PER ROOM!<br />My family and friends were trying to give us advice, K is whining because I expected her to be out of the house and the Dad was ready to jump back in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Uhaul</span> and drive back to California.<br />Once again- level headed and comic relief came out. I started cleaning so we could unload the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Uhaul</span> and started moving in to our newly rented house. <br />Most wonder why I didn't just move in with my parents or rent somewhere else. Try renting a place on a days notice with 2 dogs and a cat? My parents, bless them, offered us their basement but my mom does not allow pets at her house. So we were pretty much stuck. Either we moved into the house we had already rented and make the best of it or we become homeless.<br />By the end of the first week we were pretty much all unpacked (except for the 10'x20' storage unit full of stuff) when the doorbell rang. A very friendly policeman was on the steps waiting to inform me that K had failed to get a rental license and that if she didn't get one in the next 60 days the city would be evicting me. I called K immediately and was told "it's no big deal, it's all under control. I don't need a license." Well, K the city and the police beg to differ.<br />Turns out because I live in a "historic" part of the city we don't have any off street parking and the city will not issue a rental license if the house lacks off street parking. <br />K claims that she is working to get a "temporary rental license" The city has yet to receive her application (from a month ago) and the house is now for sale. Awesome, because I love having my life interrupted so I can pack the dogs up and leave the house every time a realtor wants to show it.<br />In my price range in my town there are 51 available properties. So far I have personally walked though 38 of them. We are fortunate that we did find a house to purchase here in town. The current owners even agreed to our closing date of less than 3 weeks after we put in the offer. <br />So I get to pack up the house again, 6 weeks after unpacking it the first time and move across town.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-61195640967057067702009-09-21T16:29:00.000-07:002009-09-21T16:42:14.340-07:00The Family hangs out in the EROur 4 hour "visit" in the ER did not start out under ideal circumstances. It wasn't a good sign when I tripped over the curb walking into the ER entrance. In my defense- I am a total klutz and should have learned by now that walking and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">texting</span> are not good ideas for me. <br />The city we lived in (at the time) is a large city with nearly 200,000 people. We lived in a nice part of town but the hospital serviced the entire county. Given that it was basically 8pm on a Friday night we were in for a long wait. <br />We had to ask probably a dozen people before we were even given an update on the Dad. After close to 45 minutes we were finally let back to his room in the ER. The Boy was pretty shaken up so I had to pull out the comedy routine to calm everyone down. It is exhausting having to be both the level headed one and the comic relief at the same time.<br />The Dad was in panic attack mode so they fortunately came in with the drugs once we alerted them to the situation. Since the Dad is bi-polar we have become experts at spotting the symptoms of his mood swings. <br />We have never spent much (any) time in the ER before. When the Boy was 4 we offered him a cash incentive for every year he made it with out an ER visit. So far he is 11 and we have only been the once now for the Dad. <br />I don't know if all hospitals are like this one but it was insane. People on gurneys lining the halls, gun shot victims, police officers rooming the halls, etc. We were in our own little room with a front curtain. Seriously the best people watching in the world!<br />Three bags of saline and about 2 gallons of water later they gave us a list of what had to happen before they would release him. First he had to um, how to put this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">delicately</span> "empty his bladder." Not an easy feat when you are still tied to the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">hospital</span> bed. Don't worry- the Boy and I were able to find plenty of humor in the situation. I was the lucky one that got to hunt down the nurse and get the next set of instructions. After about 3 hours they said "he can be released if he can eat a meal and not get nauseous". <br />They brought him a turkey sandwich, yogurt and apple juice. I explained to the nurse that we are vegetarians. If you make him eat a turkey sandwich he will get nauseous. So we <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">compromised</span> and he had to eat the yogurt and the apple juice. <br />After tracking down the nurse again and begging for his discharge paperwork we were free to go.<br />And by free to go I mean- free to go find the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Uhaul</span> that was parked on the side of the road and drive to Palm Springs. <br />I am thinking of offering the Dad the same cash incentive that we have offered the Boy to keep the both of them out of the ER.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-3052326908591672602009-09-16T11:27:00.001-07:002009-09-16T11:48:15.012-07:00The Dad gets to ride in an ambulanceAugust 14<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> was a hot and cloudless day in California. A perfect sand rash worthy beach day! But alas we were not headed to the beach- we started the day off with a 7:30am visit to the local U-Haul Center to pick up our 26 foot rented truck. <br /><br />It is important to note that we have very heavy furniture and belongings and that the temps were steadily rising toward the day's high of 100+. Some of our more heavy pieces include- a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">refrigerator</span>, a washer and dryer, treadmill, coca-cola machine, and a big <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Nautilus</span> home gym thing. By noon we had all of that loaded on to the truck. Then came everything else we owned. <br /><br />Have I mentioned yet that books are a major addiction for our family? Um yeah- so 6 large bookshelves full of books later... <br /><br />At 3:30pm it back glaringly obvious that everything wouldn't fit in the 26 foot U-Haul truck. So back to the U-haul store to rent a 12 foot trailer to tow behind the U-haul. 4 hours later the truck and trailer were finally fully packed. <br /><br />I loaded the bucket of fish, the cat and the 2 dogs into the Volvo while the Dad and the Boy buckled themselves into the U-haul truck. Our plan was to drive the 30 minutes to my parents house in Palm Springs to spend the night. Dear old Mom and Dad were flying in the next morning and Dad was going to help us drive the U-haul back to Minnesota.<br /><br />Approximately 2 miles into our 30 mile trip I noticed the Boys were not behind me. As I was making a u-turn my cell phone started ringing. I couldn't reach it as it was somewhere under the fish and the cat. <br /><br />I back tracked about half a mile and found the truck on the side of the road and a crowd of people and parked cars. My first thought was "if that idiot hit a car with that truck I am going to be so pissed because I just declined U-hauls 'extra' insurance coverage". I feel guilty now for thinking that because the sight I saw is one I won't soon forget.<br /><br />I parked my car and hurried up to the crowd only to find the Dad laying face down in the street with a growing puddle of blood around his head and the Boy no where to be seen. <br /><br />Turns out the Dad had become severely dehydrated over the course of the day and as he was driving the U-haul started to become short of breath. He had the idea that if he pulled over to the side of the road and got some fresh air he would feel better. His idea worked in theory right up until he decided to get out of the truck. As his foot tried to find the steps down from the cab of the truck every muscle in his body seized up (due to the dehydration). As his arms refused to work to break his fall he fell face first from the cab to the pavement. The growing puddle of blood was from the broken nose, chipped teeth and busted open lips and chin.<br /><br />The Boy was safely in the truck, he realized that it would be safer for him in the truck that on the street. My brave boy was the one that was trying to call me to tell me what had happened. Fortunately someone had already called 911 by the time I got there. <br /><br />Some very nice, and handsome I might add, fire and rescue men showed up. They accessed the situation, loaded the Dad up into the ambulance and kindly moved the U-haul off the busy street we were on. <br /><br />I re-arranged the fish and cat to make room for the Boy and followed the ambulance to the Hospital.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-27882992242796204442009-09-16T11:19:00.001-07:002009-09-16T11:26:02.833-07:00Our decision to moveWhen we left Minnesota we looked at living in California as this big grand adventure. And it was- for a while. <br />California had tons of great things to offer- beaches, Disneyland, the desert etc. But honestly, after a couple of trips to Disneyland it just becomes this overly expensive place crowded with tourists and whiny kids.<br />The Beach was great- except the boy always ended up with a sand rash. Plus salt water does a number on the "water proof" sunscreen so a sunburn was an automatic after a day at the beach. <br />The Desert we still love and will miss.<br /><br />But after a while we started to miss things about Minnesota. We missed Miss Pants' 3rd Birthday party. Nothing can make you feel guilty faster than a nearly 3 year old calling you to find out if you are coming to her Birthday Party and then having to explain why you can't be there.<br />My sister in law was due to give birth to a little boy. After they asked me to be his godmother I realized that I had only seen his older sister- my goddaughter- once since her baptism. <br /><br />So we held a family vote and decided that we would move the adventure back to Minnesota and see where life would take us. Apparently, even before life took us out of California it was going to demand a quick visit to the Emergency Room!The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-61029980723975050562009-09-16T11:15:00.001-07:002009-09-16T11:18:51.163-07:00UpdateA few of my friends have been harassing me lately (you know who you are- Kelly!) about the lack of updates lately.<br />So after a few months of no news I will try to fill you all in as quickly as possible.<br />We Moved! <br />There done- update complete. <br /><br />Just teasing- I won't be stingy with the details. More posts to follow. I will fill you on rides in the ambulance, dog fights, ghetto living and new schools. <br /><br />Patience is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">virtue</span> apparently. Looking for the cable to download pictures from the digital camera. It's in a box here somewhere. You might think- <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">geez</span> unpack already. Why unpack when I have to move again in 2 short weeks?<br /><br />Has curiosity killed your cat yet? stay tuned.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-59778098319250727492009-03-21T15:32:00.001-07:002009-03-21T15:38:36.504-07:00The Family went hiking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzp2-hBjzaKKv47V9aNzvfMvXQuNT5Oa9IUc_F0BwE0fkWIccZv4gV0pSyOhaBVYggvK9XuvebqgtoKDoA8tm4VVfmJ26Cq4Id0_zo229zm4fZhsA9pDlXk6MdrFx_5EwvzVzMcwWxKM/s1600-h/Spring+2009+012.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315773112477747858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 141px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 201px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzp2-hBjzaKKv47V9aNzvfMvXQuNT5Oa9IUc_F0BwE0fkWIccZv4gV0pSyOhaBVYggvK9XuvebqgtoKDoA8tm4VVfmJ26Cq4Id0_zo229zm4fZhsA9pDlXk6MdrFx_5EwvzVzMcwWxKM/s320/Spring+2009+012.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div> We decided to take advantage of the gorgeous spring weather we have been experiencing lately and go for a hike in Joshua Tree National Park. </div><div> </div><div>This is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">picture</span> of a Joshua Tree- unique but not exactly the most attractive tree in the Hi-Desert.<br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><div><br />Joshua Tree is one of our favorite places to hike. We tend to veer off trail and explore on our own. We did in deed climb to the top of most of the rocks and boulders you see in the background. Bouldering is the Boy's favorite thing to do when we go to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">JT</span>. <br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBl7SQmcDkgiz1XhFx469Eq53uCkRTUd__wcuAY3L22OlHIy-fhI2_xyvXN-ktcu8_Ma2G3RAmbcM1qBio-F4ylhKQwdXxT05iz_APSoUP3pg_7FhRLLlpLV8Rvqx44w1ua37LQYUY2U/s1600-h/Spring+2009+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315772845844135602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 165px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 146px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifBl7SQmcDkgiz1XhFx469Eq53uCkRTUd__wcuAY3L22OlHIy-fhI2_xyvXN-ktcu8_Ma2G3RAmbcM1qBio-F4ylhKQwdXxT05iz_APSoUP3pg_7FhRLLlpLV8Rvqx44w1ua37LQYUY2U/s320/Spring+2009+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1f8Juk5PIRFlwy5C6Ccxq7frayc0c51UYGkANuKMRAq2GApcqiTRtHXokW3XPguw6WBIs8x7nnSUVLjz4K-B2JSVorFSHN6djg8babxzL3PST9XGhfeZTHJbZCiUlTtS9heCt4JG9Ns/s1600-h/Spring+2009+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315772961443027202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 147px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1f8Juk5PIRFlwy5C6Ccxq7frayc0c51UYGkANuKMRAq2GApcqiTRtHXokW3XPguw6WBIs8x7nnSUVLjz4K-B2JSVorFSHN6djg8babxzL3PST9XGhfeZTHJbZCiUlTtS9heCt4JG9Ns/s320/Spring+2009+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4FRybTRed2eKTIvS0PaPAa_sO1FxgejzdZCuwQPTiwPw_xOnFejk6iIcHDUW3MVOPlRJriCcUgJ9YsIdZAby0hLvYaLpMwQ8R2U3A4zIVinvU5Xkt_42dOJhvPfnugqF6zdKErCLySs/s1600-h/Spring+2009+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5315772638338513234" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 191px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 147px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4FRybTRed2eKTIvS0PaPAa_sO1FxgejzdZCuwQPTiwPw_xOnFejk6iIcHDUW3MVOPlRJriCcUgJ9YsIdZAby0hLvYaLpMwQ8R2U3A4zIVinvU5Xkt_42dOJhvPfnugqF6zdKErCLySs/s320/Spring+2009+001.jpg" border="0" /></a></div></div></div>The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-69332357579731733182009-03-18T19:47:00.001-07:002009-03-18T19:55:37.530-07:00The Boy gets an Award!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0jOl715nK_KFhDcHB36813O6S7UcG3uk4UHYMvSRU5eP4e1cNj55WAZKEmta9PYLBcs-e_e2M42gJDB7ew8V4cjvjC3PUWtoLi6-DOBnykgDUR5O0o3dZcDJTkapFvqsEl_qgkTrQsM/s1600-h/2nd+trimester+awards+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314725669689242498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 217px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0jOl715nK_KFhDcHB36813O6S7UcG3uk4UHYMvSRU5eP4e1cNj55WAZKEmta9PYLBcs-e_e2M42gJDB7ew8V4cjvjC3PUWtoLi6-DOBnykgDUR5O0o3dZcDJTkapFvqsEl_qgkTrQsM/s320/2nd+trimester+awards+006.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7QYXxL6VFxlBQHd3xe0DWENONBqIgOcDx-GA9JLfJYvTCAfpBTuxgrtEYNmxECKJ6XKaqRQrbhgOVpJXmHiFyvFWuoKViqDfj3AjxRDVL8KdD72UEI2eQKvdTZhlmsqMV2lO8Ewfmj8/s1600-h/2nd+trimester+awards+005.jpg"></a> </div><div>Today were the 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nd</span> trimester awards for The Boy's grade. There are approximately 180 kids in the 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> grade at his school. Unfortunately the vice principal hosted the ceremony today and she is not as <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">familiar</span> as the regular Principal with name <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">pronunciation</span>. </div><div> </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Gap1hn8_4F-2Vyx1M_AskDEKRnyEJd90q_ByBX5asovNZQ_WTK8rLW651farZd9SEznSTT8kRvyZNrdF8Bie3Aa4eTYbq7pV-pYgBwv2hkv0AFYIYlrDT6S-CYYx-ZhIDi9sgbCdZ2g/s1600-h/2nd+trimester+awards+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314725484602359778" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 217px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 125px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Gap1hn8_4F-2Vyx1M_AskDEKRnyEJd90q_ByBX5asovNZQ_WTK8rLW651farZd9SEznSTT8kRvyZNrdF8Bie3Aa4eTYbq7pV-pYgBwv2hkv0AFYIYlrDT6S-CYYx-ZhIDi9sgbCdZ2g/s320/2nd+trimester+awards+005.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div>The Boy received two awards today- one for Citizenship and one for being on the A/B Honor Roll. He is still young enough to enjoy having his mom at school and even waved to me when he saw me. The young lady with the big grin behind the Boy's shoulder is his <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">band mate</span> Marry. <br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMM80ymR7Fg5-0ahUGKQtTikxkpmaWkmMRBeypphWNdI65d-06uaJEkmwOqOKRaA2_amkMKHQ6ucluQRXD9mOMUxzv5CSYOQweISRUTPqtRDd705rdJUDlFXutnhWyUWqHDxG9bou2mo/s1600-h/2nd+trimester+awards+002.jpg"></a> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMM80ymR7Fg5-0ahUGKQtTikxkpmaWkmMRBeypphWNdI65d-06uaJEkmwOqOKRaA2_amkMKHQ6ucluQRXD9mOMUxzv5CSYOQweISRUTPqtRDd705rdJUDlFXutnhWyUWqHDxG9bou2mo/s1600-h/2nd+trimester+awards+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314725220915218850" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 218px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 135px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMM80ymR7Fg5-0ahUGKQtTikxkpmaWkmMRBeypphWNdI65d-06uaJEkmwOqOKRaA2_amkMKHQ6ucluQRXD9mOMUxzv5CSYOQweISRUTPqtRDd705rdJUDlFXutnhWyUWqHDxG9bou2mo/s320/2nd+trimester+awards+002.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBMM80ymR7Fg5-0ahUGKQtTikxkpmaWkmMRBeypphWNdI65d-06uaJEkmwOqOKRaA2_amkMKHQ6ucluQRXD9mOMUxzv5CSYOQweISRUTPqtRDd705rdJUDlFXutnhWyUWqHDxG9bou2mo/s1600-h/2nd+trimester+awards+002.jpg"></a> </div><div>You will be happy to know that I cheered at a normal volume and did my best not to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">embarrassed</span> my boy! Today was "university day" so he is wearing a t-shirt from my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Alma</span> mater that Nana and Papa sent him. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div></div>The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-79954590934892659652009-03-12T19:12:00.000-07:002009-03-12T19:18:20.199-07:00Vintage Family!<div><br /><br /><div><br />After a friend accused me of not having enough (any) photos of myself on my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">facebook</span> page I went on a mission to track down photos. Mostly I found older ones from the "good old days". Here is a random sampling- please enjoy and try not to notice the frequently changing hair colors I sport! Still haven't found my signature color. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOfpFreAJGBXnG8IyKzV6GUU-H_Ls9CUXASWYw_4kEhmZOtxlNmvg3hCLwyEBBvs_P0P5M65GL6z1GK3X-a5uT0wPE2wEYt7WYIJ8iz4rKXEBP1lrj30wMZw4bXjJi9o17ds2H_LAaDc/s1600-h/Scan0005.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312489960515955698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 188px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 285px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGOfpFreAJGBXnG8IyKzV6GUU-H_Ls9CUXASWYw_4kEhmZOtxlNmvg3hCLwyEBBvs_P0P5M65GL6z1GK3X-a5uT0wPE2wEYt7WYIJ8iz4rKXEBP1lrj30wMZw4bXjJi9o17ds2H_LAaDc/s320/Scan0005.gif" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlFZedxnHYssJRhf91jd4pPK_jLmgPd53z3YxxxacATF1ZGmQ4gQgMeBavc01x4x_JkQu3Za4yYRkmMFN5iNy5i7H07nrLfOlEBpPzhKh72swd1h7SAQaLI1_DjkCq0GwvCplF1e4a4Y/s1600-h/Scan0011.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312490321366115058" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlFZedxnHYssJRhf91jd4pPK_jLmgPd53z3YxxxacATF1ZGmQ4gQgMeBavc01x4x_JkQu3Za4yYRkmMFN5iNy5i7H07nrLfOlEBpPzhKh72swd1h7SAQaLI1_DjkCq0GwvCplF1e4a4Y/s320/Scan0011.gif" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>The Boy's first birthday. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Vacation in Europe</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSDahCfqE0MCZek-rbIvj7UD51RYoEhPFGRC-q4xj1giq5D0G2Qk4FtT4pDRoQlsVg7TZD60NO50jM0nV3_8gTTORXscktaUXD8EBIw2QJ22eso8xgG_JGt46dE8cB4M16yWJwGxuX6M/s1600-h/Scan0021.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312490565460085730" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 237px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfSDahCfqE0MCZek-rbIvj7UD51RYoEhPFGRC-q4xj1giq5D0G2Qk4FtT4pDRoQlsVg7TZD60NO50jM0nV3_8gTTORXscktaUXD8EBIw2QJ22eso8xgG_JGt46dE8cB4M16yWJwGxuX6M/s320/Scan0021.gif" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div></div><div> </div><div><div>The Boy and the Mom hamming for the camera.<br /></div><div></div></div>The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-86482085344663477582009-03-02T19:10:00.000-08:002009-03-02T19:25:59.749-08:00Busy with projects at homeApologies once again for the lack of timely posts. This winter has been pretty darn boring for the Reynolds' Family. Weather wise we have been sitting pretty- warm and sunny most days (Always a plus). Unfortunately we haven't been doing a whole lot to enjoy the nice weather.<br />What we have been doing is slowly tackling a few home <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">improvement</span> type projects along the way. The list seems to be never ending and once we do one thing 100 more things pop in to our minds to be added to the Master List.<br />Below are a few pictures of the projects we have completed in the last couple of days.<br /><br />The front flower beds were overgrown with sickly looking roses and huge ugly bushes. We pulled everything out (even made a trip to the city dump to drop off our green waste). In place of the old plants we planted a variety of palm type plants.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fT63ITFEa78_wr_W7piAoT9_HyMl8dL2iqylqdpyClv78VlxdFCOe4bK2UIjR9400KQRBpMpswRcfa0eQcNxcNbJilJr3KTxnBRw2P4Amu-h7igTT25vdnOVyJJELT5nPDc66l-DrjY/s1600-h/HOME+IMPROVEMENT+PROJECTS+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fT63ITFEa78_wr_W7piAoT9_HyMl8dL2iqylqdpyClv78VlxdFCOe4bK2UIjR9400KQRBpMpswRcfa0eQcNxcNbJilJr3KTxnBRw2P4Amu-h7igTT25vdnOVyJJELT5nPDc66l-DrjY/s320/HOME+IMPROVEMENT+PROJECTS+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308795673905935666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjYjjep6PKSnebcC1k52l4pJRYP3sidVQTGr9hDkDEyutY6E191tVNajuCLHtvt0brQAVt7NEVtBtERdH_AKQCfCSiZAGlLE9VWx5eNN0qnWNJpKzmDITiM7vUWLZfI3ATgQI-xRY74I/s1600-h/HOME+IMPROVEMENT+PROJECTS+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjYjjep6PKSnebcC1k52l4pJRYP3sidVQTGr9hDkDEyutY6E191tVNajuCLHtvt0brQAVt7NEVtBtERdH_AKQCfCSiZAGlLE9VWx5eNN0qnWNJpKzmDITiM7vUWLZfI3ATgQI-xRY74I/s320/HOME+IMPROVEMENT+PROJECTS+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308795063900615970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Today I finished painting the front door a vibrant red (in place of the boring green that was originally there)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1Dx-1po5lNODbVwcp8pWh4SRMoaZaRqksNcqVkuo24uSxSMjByZKFVAGk2yOmAH0794UaOruQB3ZNAa5N0HPhXJqj1Jbyj_Kq75GYh7G0tpwj8vBIvLbpA2HVs-vOUybSmzqMQlmnto/s1600-h/HOME+IMPROVEMENT+PROJECTS+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR1Dx-1po5lNODbVwcp8pWh4SRMoaZaRqksNcqVkuo24uSxSMjByZKFVAGk2yOmAH0794UaOruQB3ZNAa5N0HPhXJqj1Jbyj_Kq75GYh7G0tpwj8vBIvLbpA2HVs-vOUybSmzqMQlmnto/s320/HOME+IMPROVEMENT+PROJECTS+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308796486742789890" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And the most dramatic change was tiling the fireplace with beautiful glass tiles (replacing the dull tan ones that came with the house). The Dad did the bulk of the work with the Boy as an assistant and with me supervising the two of them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltlsrR-u7pnwbsIWKv6MsNVwoOcFblORZ5LRyZCEGSQRiPTOYSlDlTZwp7XHvLQ601oNE2v0KpqLwJcHZ4YXtOTGTxNXphMQ0nXjmQmjnAcXKKqkJ7hmNTe7obBS9Zj3l7zqGPhDOSxQ/s1600-h/HOME+IMPROVEMENT+PROJECTS+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltlsrR-u7pnwbsIWKv6MsNVwoOcFblORZ5LRyZCEGSQRiPTOYSlDlTZwp7XHvLQ601oNE2v0KpqLwJcHZ4YXtOTGTxNXphMQ0nXjmQmjnAcXKKqkJ7hmNTe7obBS9Zj3l7zqGPhDOSxQ/s320/HOME+IMPROVEMENT+PROJECTS+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308797268431096434" border="0" /></a>The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-9872763603289044652009-01-09T15:54:00.000-08:002009-01-09T15:58:46.514-08:00Operation Move Pants to CA- Phase 1As promised we will be launching our campaign to convince Pants' parents to move closer to us. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pana</span> (Pants' Nana) is more than welcome to move west as well.<br /><br />Phase 1- Evidence on why they should chose CA over MN<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyAFkxBpyAn7ocJycwXH-3gRx61gbmpgU0wlAj6qA-9JYVSunjoLWcKRMgKslB3JVz2MQ9xLNHUGnK7yqBiSRWvUxcmHfribX-_86TWabPo-SALyTRE43TlO5YhX-MpejOn6hYTY1bpU/s1600-h/snow+in+MN.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRyAFkxBpyAn7ocJycwXH-3gRx61gbmpgU0wlAj6qA-9JYVSunjoLWcKRMgKslB3JVz2MQ9xLNHUGnK7yqBiSRWvUxcmHfribX-_86TWabPo-SALyTRE43TlO5YhX-MpejOn6hYTY1bpU/s320/snow+in+MN.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289447232538543522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />A Typical January Day in Minnesota. <br />On this same day we went to about our day in 70 degree weather and watched the palm trees gently sway in the breeze. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Dear Pana- The ball as they say is in your court.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-39270836037153650862009-01-08T20:59:00.000-08:002009-01-08T21:14:46.359-08:00The Rest of our VacationBy Saturday Morning both M and the Boy had left for MN. M had to get back to work and the Boy had traveled to MN to see his Nana and Papa.<br />Pants was nice enough to harass the Boy extra on his last day with her so she would be sure he would miss her. After about the 50<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> time she asked him "you in car?" I am pretty sure he was ready to head to the airport! Of course when we called him the next day and handed the phone to Pants she had to ask him if he was "in car?" He admitted that he missed her already.<br /><br />The Dad, Elle and I took Pants to the Living Desert on Saturday and to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sea World</span> on Sunday before their flight. Fortunately there were no lions at the zoo (Lions are Pants' least favorite animal). Uncle Nate and Pants made it through the rest of the weekend with neither of them getting in trouble. Although they were a bit like two peas in a pod. We visited the "pony" exhibit at Sea World multiple times. As in every time Pants said "ponies" to Uncle Nate we made a beeline for the Clydesdale exhibit.<br /><br />Leaving them at the airport was pretty sad for the Dad and I. We have decided to launch "Operation <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Convince</span> Pants' Parents to Move to CA".<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA__ZUBTSXIZbVhikQwp6C5YPXEAy_L13-AbN5_ssGuwbv8TBu_0qdtlq9beeGDx4n4VYwrd8szf0_92NGDxuUVeQu6dIk0QK4j-Zp0MZ0uy2Pl0N4ggjcepxA2Qt6ODg9k0rClJZv_t8/s1600-h/Picture+075.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA__ZUBTSXIZbVhikQwp6C5YPXEAy_L13-AbN5_ssGuwbv8TBu_0qdtlq9beeGDx4n4VYwrd8szf0_92NGDxuUVeQu6dIk0QK4j-Zp0MZ0uy2Pl0N4ggjcepxA2Qt6ODg9k0rClJZv_t8/s320/Picture+075.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289156171593192498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWU61yh-GphTEMGYl60kqD3fvkKs6wcX8Gx0ssyHwZopMzHDtOtdeewtjKN-A28WA_uZA-KZTP1bonWIvfQVWQ3t_oxWolDf2qToygr3NP7QV6iX6S1Ucv2fuY2RY3ZJGDGta0XgS6yU/s1600-h/Picture+085.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWU61yh-GphTEMGYl60kqD3fvkKs6wcX8Gx0ssyHwZopMzHDtOtdeewtjKN-A28WA_uZA-KZTP1bonWIvfQVWQ3t_oxWolDf2qToygr3NP7QV6iX6S1Ucv2fuY2RY3ZJGDGta0XgS6yU/s320/Picture+085.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289156786170920002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Pants and her camera with a side of follow the leader<br /><br />Sea World Adventures<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnap1hhwky0PgWN-b7ECWhFhjoHF0zdmk-WNPkvtOhV8aYA7JFmT9dgF22AdKdA_IhydIIILS85mrSRWaoS0_EmMcyOjRe0nLvv2wdpAUi03P3wfj2yM-5NwdKaeP5o1OSgyo_OtjZk0/s1600-h/Picture+026.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnap1hhwky0PgWN-b7ECWhFhjoHF0zdmk-WNPkvtOhV8aYA7JFmT9dgF22AdKdA_IhydIIILS85mrSRWaoS0_EmMcyOjRe0nLvv2wdpAUi03P3wfj2yM-5NwdKaeP5o1OSgyo_OtjZk0/s320/Picture+026.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289157417018247826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG0ADScy-Wnwy6M0XOaWiiKzAnrQm13du3yXVhXEECpS0G3P1QCD_yMzo4IkW0mPfasaIMJ3-2KJSi0LKU4lULDteHLkCe-vxpTc9Svx_Z1sF4xpZ204L8XbmF2hB_sQjVbV3b2vN0OU/s1600-h/Picture+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 172px; height: 129px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG0ADScy-Wnwy6M0XOaWiiKzAnrQm13du3yXVhXEECpS0G3P1QCD_yMzo4IkW0mPfasaIMJ3-2KJSi0LKU4lULDteHLkCe-vxpTc9Svx_Z1sF4xpZ204L8XbmF2hB_sQjVbV3b2vN0OU/s320/Picture+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289157850341890994" border="0" /></a>The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-72988912149808218902009-01-08T20:46:00.001-08:002009-01-08T20:58:50.759-08:00Christmas DaySorry this post is so late. We did celebrate the Holidays on time. But I haven't had a chance to update the blog again since then. We had so much fun over the holidays this year.<br />On Christmas Eve we went to Chinese food with Pants, Elle and M. Nothing says Christmas Eve like a Chinese Buffet followed by a couple of games of Bowling.<br />Bowling with a 2 1/2 year old is the funnest experience in the world. We got high fives for strikes and gutter balls.<br />After convincing the kids to go to bed Santa was able to swing by the house for a quick visit. The kids were kind enough to sleep until after 7 am even.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqturGOdvPxBQc3ibnw0sqYg1UKkyh35U_cPB5A4BlXeHB1eNgkB-748uN_z71NljPw00lR3K4aVT7X0dvR4fIxgaWbKVluKmIIzZEp92K3DUiYloXdTMFowd7FMETdWtPljL3OQ765w/s1600-h/Picture+073.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqturGOdvPxBQc3ibnw0sqYg1UKkyh35U_cPB5A4BlXeHB1eNgkB-748uN_z71NljPw00lR3K4aVT7X0dvR4fIxgaWbKVluKmIIzZEp92K3DUiYloXdTMFowd7FMETdWtPljL3OQ765w/s320/Picture+073.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289153333647187954" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSo-ofvA8h1zPJ5E-1F2UFx1eekSOoPNxihrgBmGJmTjJH5lz44y9lgGGKVRh1C3rbim8fzlDd0oD6qZ9stPGeWuta1wcfaKsEX_FCT2tYuUcCb91DqMjqBU2_ylLK9CLOONwIFHtBDo/s1600-h/Picture+071.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSo-ofvA8h1zPJ5E-1F2UFx1eekSOoPNxihrgBmGJmTjJH5lz44y9lgGGKVRh1C3rbim8fzlDd0oD6qZ9stPGeWuta1wcfaKsEX_FCT2tYuUcCb91DqMjqBU2_ylLK9CLOONwIFHtBDo/s320/Picture+071.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289153801353328018" border="0" /></a>The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-62818837341255573382008-12-24T15:41:00.000-08:002008-12-24T15:52:24.222-08:00The Family visits Disneyland<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOudq0ehyOma9uobxui0bIruEhkqYS2bYm7jNjsRrtQ3rKOnYzg3_UJKZ2q_M3ofPnY4ROiJcv_yRrFEMedrSCqM6eC8wVCtIhrRTX6QUO6tSSOkaQ5O5INHfDi3jB8syb4witJY9X9uQ/s1600-h/apple+orchard+062.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOudq0ehyOma9uobxui0bIruEhkqYS2bYm7jNjsRrtQ3rKOnYzg3_UJKZ2q_M3ofPnY4ROiJcv_yRrFEMedrSCqM6eC8wVCtIhrRTX6QUO6tSSOkaQ5O5INHfDi3jB8syb4witJY9X9uQ/s320/apple+orchard+062.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283506826826419842" border="0" /></a><br />After months of plotting and planning we finally made it to Disneyland! Pants has been watching Mickey's Clubhouse in preparation of our big visit. The Boy has been checking the rides on line to come up with his list of "have to go on that ride" rides. The parents charged up our camera batteries and prepared for an afternoon of chasing the kids through the park. At the end of the day we were all happily exhausted and enjoyed every minute of our visit. I will say the the Holiday Parade was worth the 30 minutes spent saving our front row seats.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0hQEd8Yh0vzCNJueTpXXotfquD6jz0P_sIaGClcqhIbHOkV_wA80xkwklgXQnUOaNPqc-vDWlv1tUA50RnHCXtmnvPr0IT11aQXMgKx_DCPqtOfIu9Kv-tXSz4UIeJwKtSVn-ZA4RfI/s1600-h/apple+orchard+085.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 235px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0hQEd8Yh0vzCNJueTpXXotfquD6jz0P_sIaGClcqhIbHOkV_wA80xkwklgXQnUOaNPqc-vDWlv1tUA50RnHCXtmnvPr0IT11aQXMgKx_DCPqtOfIu9Kv-tXSz4UIeJwKtSVn-ZA4RfI/s320/apple+orchard+085.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283507318817812658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBouBL6hUpGSyRxj85ct4eytDUu0zwuIny8Ic5veX0IHp1bgO0Xt2-d8z3EYokr-bsRHE8I5ii65y_wcbZGuwxaD04UqjiPR1StbfSYpxD5cq8t4MWjuEwKAxg7MGoJleEzlU3kNauLs/s1600-h/apple+orchard+089.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBouBL6hUpGSyRxj85ct4eytDUu0zwuIny8Ic5veX0IHp1bgO0Xt2-d8z3EYokr-bsRHE8I5ii65y_wcbZGuwxaD04UqjiPR1StbfSYpxD5cq8t4MWjuEwKAxg7MGoJleEzlU3kNauLs/s320/apple+orchard+089.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283507919917121522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRdhcrVOJJsjzKDdTtbYxMDJlKvdKNhXq6ZdgLQumJ90-bp_qcf4YgIiIDoCqwRpBhUWerykUHUfb2LkxXlFr9HpozpYaJzCxcGX2dAYDOmnml6w6YsLyw_staXDGueWxrdb0EoBuesQ/s1600-h/apple+orchard+066.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRdhcrVOJJsjzKDdTtbYxMDJlKvdKNhXq6ZdgLQumJ90-bp_qcf4YgIiIDoCqwRpBhUWerykUHUfb2LkxXlFr9HpozpYaJzCxcGX2dAYDOmnml6w6YsLyw_staXDGueWxrdb0EoBuesQ/s320/apple+orchard+066.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283507592498547474" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> The One and Only Santa Claus Miss Pants and her assistants (her parents) Goofy<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2BDDUSb0mvzC9JLmQIZyfZLo5exZQHGv0mDjEBBHTWrJuHQtHajvDluGO5Eubw6-C92XtOniYH1AVHgwBY3wMfwMD9qQS8BjbUR6vNvxEG1KntZnJujdDytmbo2fpIRISlkTSLHIqIc/s1600-h/apple+orchard+092.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2BDDUSb0mvzC9JLmQIZyfZLo5exZQHGv0mDjEBBHTWrJuHQtHajvDluGO5Eubw6-C92XtOniYH1AVHgwBY3wMfwMD9qQS8BjbUR6vNvxEG1KntZnJujdDytmbo2fpIRISlkTSLHIqIc/s320/apple+orchard+092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283508403628033122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />The Boy (isn't he a cutie pie?)The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-30321231382350460592008-12-24T15:37:00.000-08:002008-12-24T15:41:12.556-08:00Santa flew in to Palm Springs<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VYUL6czGU2TWqGscFfNmwdrwyvF0VGJ688KIzUTragx5Vtuny1yNSlmvf5AGYj6k-smicDrsU-2zScyBbSW-EMiK3YTl6ymoveD0k0OWZtwGvVl-HjPVO6eaI42002udsk78Ja2hVZ0/s1600-h/apple+orchard+030.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3VYUL6czGU2TWqGscFfNmwdrwyvF0VGJ688KIzUTragx5Vtuny1yNSlmvf5AGYj6k-smicDrsU-2zScyBbSW-EMiK3YTl6ymoveD0k0OWZtwGvVl-HjPVO6eaI42002udsk78Ja2hVZ0/s320/apple+orchard+030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283505594307272258" border="0" /></a><br />The Boy who is all of 10 and slightly jaded when it comes to the whole Santa thing chose to stay home and missed out on Santa's arrival at the air museum in Palm Springs. Apparently the appeal of having some peace and quiet was greater than the appeal of standing in line to see the fat man in the red suit.<br />Fortunately Pants was willing to amuse us and we were able to use her as our excuse to go and see Santa. At the air museum one of Santa's Elves flies Santa in so he can visit with the kids (and give the reindeer a bit of a rest).The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-32338052734851953252008-12-24T15:24:00.000-08:002008-12-24T15:35:24.178-08:00The Family went to the Aquarium of the PacificUncle N (the Dad) has been promising Miss Pants that he will take her to the big fishes when she came out here on vacation. Of course she has been calling to remind him and give him a list of her demands. We were to pick her up at the airport with a brown pony and a cake. We compromised a bit and found a brown pony stuffed animal and a cupcake.<br />We made a quick stop at Seaport Village to allow Miss Pants to run off some of her excess energy. There were lots of choruses of "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Steevie</span> chase me" "Nate you run now". I am pretty sure we achieved our goal of wearing out the kids because Pants napped on the way back to our house and the Dad asked me to drive because he was too tired!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6AvJY_9QYv1BXWHt4gcEZm-19bfmWF941d9JIWsA-ix3qKY26tpFPKxJRrPQoUiKB_Cb6CYlsPpt51AGSoDb6WHsuFJIc-VoiD7p2kTZ3ZCe4HSzsEGypXLIhXRWg8kOw67wo3b9V8I/s1600-h/apple+orchard+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 154px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6AvJY_9QYv1BXWHt4gcEZm-19bfmWF941d9JIWsA-ix3qKY26tpFPKxJRrPQoUiKB_Cb6CYlsPpt51AGSoDb6WHsuFJIc-VoiD7p2kTZ3ZCe4HSzsEGypXLIhXRWg8kOw67wo3b9V8I/s320/apple+orchard+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283504287212923634" border="0" /></a><br />Our first adventure was a trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. We had a few minor problems with birds. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">lorakets</span> were a little too eager to drink the nectar we tried to feed them and the pigeons were very interested in our picnic lunch.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxWM7pjlSsHE6pD3MJIoFkt5CNnpQ6vqi4FW0JNS6EDu2se-udmEPHgSM2e9kPNqVOND9cj2pDB6eg_dr5FdSUeheFUBArMRAqJIG3EUxsWSebXVe3ARCaFhcmJk-wImzKiNFsh5_ngM/s1600-h/apple+orchard+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxWM7pjlSsHE6pD3MJIoFkt5CNnpQ6vqi4FW0JNS6EDu2se-udmEPHgSM2e9kPNqVOND9cj2pDB6eg_dr5FdSUeheFUBArMRAqJIG3EUxsWSebXVe3ARCaFhcmJk-wImzKiNFsh5_ngM/s320/apple+orchard+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283503840549163810" border="0" /></a>The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-53392136282559292902008-12-19T18:24:00.000-08:002008-12-19T18:29:43.939-08:00Shout out to my NS/CS friendsIt has been a crazy year for us all this year. Lots of highs and lows. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Beej</span> brought us all to tears with her tribute and fund raiser for Lisa. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Firebird</span> lead us in a covert operation to cheer up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">startsmart</span>.<br />Over the course of the year we have shared many laughs and good times. 2009 is on our horizon along with the much anticipated trip to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Las</span> Vegas. I fear that city will never be the same after we are through with it. <br />Happy holidays to each of you wonderful ladies.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-12863134306674337222008-12-19T18:13:00.001-08:002008-12-19T18:24:48.674-08:00Merry Christmas to AllSince our family Christmas cards include a link to this blog I figured I would be nice and post an actual Christmas letter of sorts.<br />This year has finally come to a close. It has been a long year. $4.69 a gallon gas out here for a while. A lay off for the Dad. A long hot summer followed by a fall with a couple of forest fires in our area. So far we have had a pretty rainy December too. <br />Through out this year we did still have a lot of fun and adventures. Camping trips to both the beach and the desert. Hikes everywhere from mountain tops to the valleys and lakes. Some nice trips to the beach for a little bit of boogie boarding and sand castle building too. <br />We have been fortunate to have a lot of visitors this year too. Nana and Papa try to make it out every 4 to 6 weeks. Early this year by brother, sister in law and goddaughter flew out for a long weekend and started off the year of visitors. Over spring break they brought my nephews out for a visit. This summer was saw my Grandma and my aunts as well. The Fall saw my sisters along with my mother too.<br />This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to visitors.<br />The one and only Miss Pants celebrated her 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nd</span> birthday with us and a trip to Disneyland. She has decided to bring her parents back for Christmas now. Given that it has been an entire 7 months since her last visit it will basically be all new to her again. <br />On behalf of the entire Reynolds' family we would like to wish you all a wonderful holiday season.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-34608254011930665792008-12-19T18:06:00.000-08:002008-12-19T18:12:01.482-08:00The Mom begs for ForgivenessI would like to apologize profusely for the lack of posts lately. Life tends to get a little hectic from time to time. To bring you all up to date:<br />The Dad has finished his current semester of school (with excellent grades BTW). He is in the process of looking for a new job as he was laid off a few weeks ago.<br />The Boy is still enjoying school and hanging out with his friends. He has a regular "gang" of kids that he plays with. They have been building a large river and battleground in our background. Makes for a lot of messy kids covered in mud but grinning from ear to ear.<br />I, the Mom, have stayed busy running the house and working. Between the Dad and the Boy it seems we are always on the go. <br />Hence the lack of updates. You will be happy to know that one of my New Year's Goals is to keep our blog more current. And since another Goal is to make Sundays family fun days we should have a lot of adventures to post about.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-85711360352138594822008-10-15T11:59:00.000-07:002008-10-15T12:23:03.240-07:00Ode to Pana<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pana</span> (Pants' Nana) is interrupting her busy life to make the 2 hour drive up to spend the weekend with her girls. I am adding the "s" to girl because technically Elle will be home and therefore her mother will be spending time with her as well.<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pana</span> is the very definition of a grandma. She is the type of grandma that prepares for her visits days in advance of them. She will be bum rushed by Pants' the minute she rings the doorbell. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Immediately</span> after giving her Nana a hug Miss Thing will start that not to subtle slide toward <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pana's</span> bags. Why? Because she knows that it is virtually impossible for her Nana to get through the week without finding something that Pants just "has to have". It usually isn't anything big- sometimes a coloring book or a packet of stickers, her favorite m&ms, etc. She doesn't do this to spoil Pants, she does it because she never stops thinking about her granddaughter.<br />Trips to the grocery store become a game of "I wonder if Pants likes......" or "I hope that Elle remembers that Pants now likes green apples instead of the red ones". Trips to the Marts (large box stores with names like Target and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Wal</span>-mart) always include a trip to the toy and book aisle- just in case a manufacturer has invented a wonderful thing in the past week for her girl. <br />Please don't think I am teasing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Pana</span>. Honestly- Uncle the Dad is just as bad. Between the two of them that little girl will never want for anything. Fortunately Elle has started to learn this and assigned them each areas to cover- <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Pana</span> is shoes and Uncle is purses- they split toys and clothes, however the Boy is all about stuffed animals for her. <br />This week in anticipation of her weekend with the girls, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Pana</span> will pack her bags (making sure Pants' gift is on top). She will likely start to go to bed a little earlier at night to prepare herself for the whirlwind fairy that is Miss Pants. The car will be gassed up and ready to go at least 6 hours before it is time for her to hit the road. The last day of work before her trip will be spent gazing at pictures of her girl and re-reading all of her blog posts. Finally (an hour earlier than she needs to) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Pana</span> will hit the open road and venture north (technically mostly east) to Pants.<br />All the while the Reynolds Family will be jealous- <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Pana</span> gets to see Miss Pants and hang out with her for 3 whole days. <br /><br />I dedicate this post to Pants' Nana who is one heck of a lady (and a really good mom to Elle too). It has recently come to my attention that when I fail to properly update my blog Elle will get a call from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Pana</span> instructing her to tell me to update my blog. Have fun with Miss Thing this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">weekend</span>!The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-46569198094594916742008-10-14T17:01:00.000-07:002008-10-14T17:10:31.431-07:00The Mom is a MeanieIt was the Boy's opinion today that I am the Meanest Mom in the World-- and I am <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ok</span> with that today. What heinous thing did I do to the Boy? Throw away all his toys- Nope, dress him funny- wrong again, make him eat <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Brussels</span> sprouts for breakfast- strike three. Ready for the answer? <br />I made him go to school! Gasp if you must, but I did what I had to do. <br />And before you starting acting shocked as if I released a little <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ebola</span> monkey on to his unsuspecting classmates- He was not sick. The Boy will readily admit that he was perfectly healthy today. There was no reason to keep him home other than the fact that he "didn't want to go to school" today. Apparently he was sick and tired of being bossed around and decided he had earned the right to stay home. <br />I have wracked my brain today in order to come up with a list of ways in which I have wronged the Boy (or bossed him around). So far I have come up with the following:<br />1. Stopped by his school and tracked down a custodian so I could get his math book from his desk<br />2. Brought him to Target and bought his Halloween Costume<br />3. We went for a family walk last night (he wanted to come with)<br />4. I made him dinner (made him one of his favorites)<br />5. I helped him with his homework (did the typing for one of his reports that he dictated)<br />6. Let him go to sleep at 9 when he declared he was tired (it was his normal bed time)<br /><br />So yeah, not sure when all of this "Bossing" around happened. Needless to say by the time he got home from school he had forgotten he was even mad at me. We even made a batch of cookies together this afternoon. <br /><br />This whole "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">pre</span>-teen" thing is for the birds!The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-70113344702711560102008-10-12T20:04:00.000-07:002008-10-12T20:19:30.905-07:00The Family goes Bowling<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSmjWkisC5N_Jo7JCBPjGfJAEL5gGlw3uhALvhefcUGYLs6mr1SfVOvr5FWaF91jkOZBWWNWUJ6T_s6haNI3iaSBogOUvKPMa3765CJLyHmH7-56YDJFqBPA55o8teV7jzFJxIlH-ZMg/s1600-h/dad+blowing.bmp"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTSmjWkisC5N_Jo7JCBPjGfJAEL5gGlw3uhALvhefcUGYLs6mr1SfVOvr5FWaF91jkOZBWWNWUJ6T_s6haNI3iaSBogOUvKPMa3765CJLyHmH7-56YDJFqBPA55o8teV7jzFJxIlH-ZMg/s320/dad+blowing.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256471347816053602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZDD36lwJ4yz6vnIybUWwrbmepst18iAjGhNp-ofddggTf61eBaRsc0Zhsg_Cg2HdVyOB8mJWu8ujjuYyGS2UW337wOiVlFTTQWClkhC5Ws14LkKsLey4QhX2JQVckSPe8ec59PcGnBA/s1600-h/1012081415.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZDD36lwJ4yz6vnIybUWwrbmepst18iAjGhNp-ofddggTf61eBaRsc0Zhsg_Cg2HdVyOB8mJWu8ujjuYyGS2UW337wOiVlFTTQWClkhC5Ws14LkKsLey4QhX2JQVckSPe8ec59PcGnBA/s320/1012081415.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256471251772019506" border="0" /></a>Since we are all (currently) healthy and our extended family is safely back in MN we had the opportunity to get back to our regular lives. And apparently our regular life now includes trips to the bowling alley.<br />On Sundays the Dad attends a meeting in Palm Springs with our dear friend Dave (more on him in a bit). Every Sunday we drive past a big Bowling Alley and think to ourselves "we should stop there one of these days". Well my friends, today was that day.<br />We planned ahead and had a quick picnic lunch after the meeting and headed to the Bowling Alley on the way back home. We had a blast! I did forget our regular digital camera so please excuse the poor quality from my cell phone's camera.<br /><br />Dave- our dear friend Dave is on the winning side of his battle with colon cancer. He has completed both his chemo and radiation treatments. The Doctors have found the treatments to be successful but are continuing to monitor his tumor with regular scans. <br />Although the Dad sees Dave on a regular basis it has been a little while since the Boy and I have seen him. It was a huge relief to see him looking so handsome and healthy. <br />We did invite him to go bowling with us but he promised to spend the afternoon with his husband as it is rare for them to have weekend days off together. <br /><br />Since we enjoyed our bowling adventure so much I am sure Dave will get a chance to come with us again.<br /><br />PS- to Elle and Pants- glad that you loved your box and all the goodies inside. We always look for any excuse to spoil someone as adorable as Pants on the Loose!The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-12577838549415721542008-10-05T19:14:00.000-07:002008-10-05T19:19:40.209-07:00The Family Gets SickSorry for the lack of posting and updating lately. Both the Dad and I came down with horrible head colds this last week. As in home sick from work sick. So bad that when people would call on the phone after I said "Hello" their comment would be "Oh my god, you sound terrible".<br /><br />Worst part of the whole situation was the snoring. The Dad can take some cold medicine and pass out cold. Which makes "encouraging" him to roll over when he starts to sleep impossible. Trust me when I say impossible. Tools were involved in my attempts to get him to roll over and stop snoring. <br /><br />Sick as I was, I had to watch <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tv</span> until exhaustion took over so I could be sure I would be able to fall asleep. Had to be so tired that the snoring didn't matter. Trust me- <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">tv</span> at 2am during the week is beyond boring!<br /><br />Fortunately we are now on the mend and the crud seems to have skipped the boy this time around. We haven't called in a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CSI</span> team but I am willing to bet that the Boy was patient zero this time around anyway. <br /><br />Life should hopefully be returning to our regularly scheduled schedule soon.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1509949819654164971.post-38727637536092570242008-09-30T14:28:00.001-07:002008-09-30T14:39:12.342-07:00Last Day of SeptemberI can't speak for everyone but I can honestly say that as far as the Reynolds' Family goes- September flew right by us. We are now firmly entrenched in the routine of school/work/life. The Boy is thankfully still enjoying his class and this year's teacher. The Dad is enjoying his courses this semester. And I am making dinner every night and supervising <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">homework</span> and bed times. (The Dad always wants to stay up way past his!). <br />My favorite part of the evening is checking out the Pants on the Loose blog for updates on Miss Pants. Too cute for words.<br /><br />A review of our September goals is as follows:<br />September Goals:Increase closet space in the playroom (by reducing the amount of toys by 25%)<br />Increase our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ebay</span> income (by selling unneeded items- especially extra purses)<br />Yes to family time on the weekends- a minimum of two family fun days this month<br />Yes to volunteering somewhere this month<br />Yes to developing a positive outlook on life!<br /><br />The results:<br />The playroom closet is virtually empty. The Boy purged closer to 40-50% of the toys out of there. Some were set to be donated and some are listed on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ebay</span>.<br />The purses have been photographed and descriptions written for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ebay</span>. They will be listed as soon as the Dad has his next night off from school (Friday).<br />We did 2 fun family <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">activities</span>- went to the Zoo once and to the Apple Orchard and hiking once.<br />Still haven't found somewhere to volunteer (my bad)<br />Yes- I think I have cultivated more of a positive attitude this month. As always my attitude is considered a "work in progress". <br /><br />When it comes to my NS/CS goals- I hit 23 no spend days which was my goal. The NS/CS ladies are planning a future get together in Vegas for next fall. Good times will be had by all. <br /><br />I have to consult with the Dad and the Boy and will update with a new post when we have finalized our October goals.The Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10311108528707825650noreply@blogger.com3