tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-384106452024-03-12T17:32:40.150-07:00family sandwichKel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.comBlogger773125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-14102943364253678742014-12-26T22:45:00.000-08:002015-04-12T23:31:08.891-07:00Christmas morning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year as the kids get older the amount of sleep we get on Christmas night gets shorter. By the time we finished all of our Christmas Eve festivities the kids didn't even get into bed until ten o clock. Then we stayed up laughing and talking with Kimbre and Sam for way too late and didn't end up closing our eyes until 2 am. Hunter and Avery like clockwork were up every hour trying to sneak in and start eyeing everything under the tree. This year they even had Emma up off and on through the night checking with them. I would hear their little feet and loud whispering and then someone would accidentally bump a package. I would walk out and all three would try to high tail it back to the bedroom as I attempted to sound stern telling them "I really meant it" and that they needed to go to sleep and stay in bed until 8. I felt like I had just closed my eyes when the process would start all over again. Finally by seven even the baby was awake now and they were so excited they could hardly stand it. We brought them out to the front room to do our christmas morning interviews and open stockings then lined them up youngest to oldest and headed in to open presents. I love that every year the kids open one at a time and we all watch each other open. It is so nice to really take our time and enjoy it and make it last awhile. The kids all had a really nice Christmas.... </div>
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We had let Emma open the bakery the very first since it was a really big present and that was so awesome to watch her open. We decided to save a gift to Hunter for the very last. I am pretty sure that by the shape of the box he probably thought LEGO's. Whatever he thought he definitely wasn't expecting what he found. I was video taping and as he ripped the paper he saw the box and the picture of a tablet. He didn't even say anything but tears started coming down his cheeks and he walked over and just hugged Deke and then came over and hugged me. Of course then Deke, Kimbre and I were all crying because his reaction was so cute and genuine. He was totally surprised and we were all caught off guard not expecting his reaction. It was really sweet. Our kids are so awesome about always being grateful for everything they have and showing appreciation for everything. So happy you love it dude!<br />
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The rest of the day was spent playing, eating, playing, adults trying to catch cat naps here and there and playing and more playing with the kids. It was so fun to have Kimbre here with us and such a great Christmas. Merry Christmas!!!<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-80759404812277587652014-12-26T22:40:00.000-08:002015-04-12T23:32:09.002-07:00Emma's Market and Cafe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After working on Em's surprise project for over a month we were so excited to finally give it to her. We used two large tablecloths to cover it and put it by the presents that Santa had already brought. When the kids walked out into the living room they all were instantly excited to see the two large wrapped items. We told Emma she could open the big presents that were from mom and dad first. She started tearing off the cloth and as soon as the sign appeared she saw her name and realized what it was. She looked at Deke and I with her mouth open as if she was shocked then started looking at all the shelves. "It's my very own bakery!!! Ave, look it's my own bakery with cupcakes, donuts, cake pops and cookies!!!" Her face was priceless, she was so surprised. She came over and gave Deke and I the biggest hugs. "Thank you, thank you I love it!!" she kept telling us over and over again. Then off she headed to find her play apron and start inspecting everything in detail and get busy cooking. </div>
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Watching her surprise and happiness on her face completely melted our hearts. She has played with it non stop since Christmas. Everyday she is in the bakery making different dishes for people. All of a sudden I'll hear her holler, "Order up, number three combo...." or "Hunter Burch come to the window your order is ready." When I am making dinner she puts her apron on and gets busy in her kitchen cooking away and talking to me about how hard it is to keep her restaurant organized and that so and so didn't show up for her shift and that she has to go to her market to get more ingredients and then changes her sign to closed and grabs her basket. It is the cutest thing ever!!<br />
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She has a certain way she likes it organized and Hudson is also in love with the bakery and being only two has his own way of playing in it. She has had to learn some patience with him "messing everything up" putting in the wrong areas. Three to four times a day I stop in to get served a delicious piece of chocolate cake, a box full of donuts or some truffles. <br />
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About once a week she holds a cooking class where she teaches us how to cook different dishes or has us be the students and cook along side her. It is so ridiculously cute to listen to her as the teacher giving directions on how to cook. More often than not when she teaches a class she uses a strong British accent which is hilarious. Hunter has gotten kicked out of cooking class more than once for giggling about it :)<br />
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We are trying to also add some new items to the bakery, she has a cute ice cream set that she wants to get for her birthday and hopefully we can get her a MENU board to go above the kitchen so she can write down all of her choices for people ordering. One of the best parts about it is that all the kids enjoy playing in it and it has been really fun for all of them to play together. Love this little baker and all of her creative concoctions :) :)<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-7714770909742049522014-12-26T22:30:00.000-08:002015-04-03T23:28:56.660-07:00Gingerbread competition 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favorite things about this specific tradition is to get to have different people team up and watch their creativity. I LOVE that we all try to do things that are outside of the box. This year the girlies were on a team,</div>
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Aunt Kimbre was teamed up with Hunter and Tate....<br />
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Mom and dad were teamed up for the first time in quite a few years. <br />
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Every year we give everyone a ton of basic supplies and then each team is allotted four or five specialty items that are only for their team that are of their choosing. We go to Fry's and break off into teams and carefully select which items we want to have just for our team. Once back home we put everything out on the table, a gigantic spread of sugar in every form and get to work. Emma and Avery quickly decided that they wanted to create a gummy bear wedding scene. Ave made some tootsie roll columns for the bride and groom to stand under and then they spent the next ten minutes going back and forth choosing which two gummy bears would get the honor of being the betrothed :) :)<br />
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We got about halfway into our construction and then Hudson started fussing for me to hold him. I had to take this picture because I am always working on my house with a little helper on my lap. He soon was asleep in my arms and then Deke and I could really get to work.<br />
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Between holding Hudson and just enjoying working with Deke, talking together I really didn't get pictures of everyone working. Soon everyone was wrapping up and showing off their masterpieces. Kimbre and the boys created a great beachfront scene....</div>
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I loved their frosting waves, sailboats and dock jutting out into the water, palm trees and a taco shop. They did a great job!!<br />
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Once the girls decided on a bride and groom the rest came together. Ave laid fruit roll-up down the aisle and doused it with sprinkles. They lined it with good and plenty candies and then picked and placed every single gummy guest. I love that all the bridesmaids are red bears and the groomsmen are green bears. Nice job my little ladies :) :)<br />
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Deke and I decided to build Gru's house from Despicable Me. For the first time ever we used chocolate graham crackers instead of regular and it gave it the perfect look. Deke added on an awesome peaked roof and small porch. I made gum drop minions both the good ones and threw in a couple of crazy purple minions. <br />
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It turned out pretty cool. I wish we had had time to use decorative black icing to draw some windows, shutters, and shingles to the roof. If we had more time we could have had a blast with some of the little details. </div>
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Seriously had so much fun as always. Loved getting to work with you babe, it was a blast!!<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-39233606991694616102014-12-24T23:45:00.000-08:002015-02-08T13:08:35.964-08:00Santa is coming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have to start out by saying I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of the kids in their new pjs. They all look so cute but Hudson's little minion jammies are seriously ridiculous!! This year Kimbre came and stayed with us the week of Christmas. It was our first time having her for Christmas and we had so much fun with her. The kids had spent days making all sorts of little presents for her and putting them under the tree. For family night we all made decorative christmas plates for christmas eve dinner. The kids did such an awesome job and they turned out so cute. We followed the instructions and baked them in the oven and were so bummed when we went to use them and some of the ink bled so we had to throw them out. We will have to try this one again because the kids had fun doing it.</div>
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We had a nice traditional ham and potatoes dinner....<br />
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The kids spent the afternoon watching christmas specials and of course tracking santa online through NORAD. All day long they gave us constant updates about where he was in the world and what the presents delivered total was up to. <br />
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After dinner we loaded up in the car and drove around to do our christmas light scavenger hunt. <br />
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We came home and baked cookies for Santa and wrote our notes and the kids opened their christmas pjs and slippers from grandma. <br />
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Then we turned the yule log on the tv and read the spider story and placed the christmas spider on the tree. We snuggled up on the couches for a little while and it wasn't until around ten o clock before we finally tucked the little ones in bed. I was sure that after the busy day and late bedtime they would all sleep well at least until morning. Boy was I wrong :) :)<br />
<br />Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-42363972107899935942014-12-24T23:01:00.000-08:002015-02-08T13:05:59.621-08:00Santa take note<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every Christmas eve the kids always leave notes for Santa. This year Hunter's especially made me smile. He had quite a few very specific questions for him including, "What is the most presents you have delivered?" "Do you use time time travel?" and asking for his age, favorite cookie and signature. On the back he had written a recipe to Santa for Reindeer Cakes. It is hard to read from the picture but it says: Take 3 cups of oatmeal and 2 chopped carrots and mix. Then make carrot cake. After mash 4-5 carrots until blended to a pure (puree). After done mix all ingredients and serve to reindeer. -If you want add sugar for a treat. Looooooove him.</div>
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It was so adorable. Avery had picked out a special christmas pencil that she wanted to give him and here was her note front and back...</div>
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Hudson's drawing....</div>
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Somehow I didn't get a picture of Em's note but it was also really cute. The kids were so excited to wake up the next morning and see that Santa had enjoyed their cookies and also written responses to all of their questions. Lots of curious kids around this house Santa, sorry about the interrogation :) :)<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-88697619852614805422014-12-22T21:27:00.000-08:002015-04-03T23:28:06.993-07:00The Christmas dress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Emma is getting so tall these days she is growing out of everything so quickly. All of her church dresses were getting too short and she really needed a new one. Mom and I went shopping one afternoon looking for some things to pick up for the kids. We walked into children's place and we were looking at some cute tops when I heard Emma, "Ohhhhhh, Mom!! Look at this beautiful Christmas dress. I LOVE it!!" She was holding an adorable black dress with a large rose print pattern on it and a red ribbon sash across the middle. I held it up and looked at the price tag, it was $35. Trying to keep four kids in clothes and shoes that are cute and fit is definitely not cheap and to add to it of course it was Christmastime. It was over what I felt I should spend on one dress. I went to hang it back on the rack. "Wait, can I pllllllleeeeease try it on Mom, please?"</div>
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"Sure go ahead and try it on, it will be fun" I told her as she skipped away with it over to the dressing room. I put it on her and as I zipped up the back I saw her in the mirror. It fit her perfect and she looked darling in it. She twirled and curtsied watching her reflection and couldn't stop smiling. "It is so beautiful, I love it! Can we get it mom, please?" "No babe, not today." I told her as I watched the disappointment wash over her face. As she started to get dressed back into her clothes my heart felt heavy. She is only going to be little so much longer and she may be our last little girl. I have loved getting her all dressed up cute. I was frustrated, wishing that I could feel okay with spending that but I didn't. Wondering when we are going to be more comfortable financially to be able to not have a thirty five dollar dress be such a big deal. Wishing I could get it for her. Our kids are so good about appreciating everything they have and not really asking for anything that when they do you know it is something they are really excited about. As Em finished I walked over and put it back. "Oh isn't that dress so sweet?" said one of the cashier's who was folding t-shirts to the side of me. "You're not going to get it? It's such a good deal though" she continued. I was thinking that a "good deal" was clearly different in our worlds when she added, "all special occasion dresses are 40% off today!" <br />
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My ears perked up. "I have a 15% coupon I was trying to use though, it probably doesn't work with that offer right?" I asked. She waived me over to a register and asked to see the coupon. "Oh yes this is 15% off any item in the store including sale and clearance items." I couldn't believe it. "Do you have a rewards card with us as well" she asked. I knew I did because I shop there often for the kids but really never check on it. She pulled up our phone number, "You also have rewards points that you can use" she added. By the time she took the discount, coupon, rewards points and added tax it was just under $10!!! I know it sounds ridiculous but as I paid for it I wanted to cry I was so excited to see Em's face. When I walked out of the store she saw the bag in my hand and her eyes got wide. She ran over and threw her arms around me, "Thank mommy, thank you for my beautiful Christmas dress" she told me. Oh my heart. How I love these sweet babies of mine. When we got home she laid it across her bed until Deke got home and she could show him. Pretty sure everyone and anyone who would listen heard about her "special new Christmas dress" that she couldn't stop talking about. Crazy thing was I had saved so much I was able to go find a cute pair of black flats and some tights to go with it and was under $35 for the whole outfit. All I know is whenever I think of Christmas dresses I will remember the black dress with the rose pattern and red sash. <br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-52743167568551611342014-12-19T15:59:00.000-08:002015-02-08T13:04:01.515-08:00Merry Christmas from the Burch's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-20712927596224050742014-12-19T15:21:00.000-08:002015-02-08T13:03:37.805-08:00Signs of christmastime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love the little everyday things that remind me that its Christmastime. Things like the kids finding Santa hats and wearing them around the house to play...<br />
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This marquee JOY sign that Deke and I made to put up on the mantle shelf. I love the way it lights everything up at night. </div>
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Christmas parties at church, school parties and work parties. Deke's company party this year was really nice. I loved the guess the manager's baby picture game, the food was great and we had fun taking goofy pics in the photo booth. <br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-40346533100856027442014-12-15T11:11:00.000-08:002015-01-31T11:11:44.602-08:00Surprise project for Em<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My FAVORITE gift every year is the homemade gift that Deke and I give to one or all of the kids. Projects that Deke and I build or make together especially for them. Last year I found instructions online and we made a balance beam and uneven bars for Ave's american girl doll. This year we knew exactly what our surprise project would be. Emma had told us that what she really really wanted for Christmas was a bakery and a play kitchen so she could bake cakes like Carlo's bakery. I had seen a lot of cute play kitchens on Pinterest but she kept talking about wanting a bakery most of all. So I started doing research and saw a couple of really cute ideas and started watching craigslist to see if I could get an old entertainment center that we could re purpose. One day after about a month of daily checking I saw a posting for a wooden play kitchen and desk. I contacted the seller and by the end of the week we were picking it up from him. It was wood and in great condition and he only wanted $60 for the set. New condition these are a couple hundred dollars each and I was so excited to get such an awesome deal. </div>
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Not to mention I could already tell that they would turn out much more realistic that a plastic play kitchen from the toy store. Our neighbors Ashlee and Brian let us store them in their garage and sneak over in the evenings to work on them. It was so fun to go over and work together and spend time together. I love doing projects and building things with Deke, we always have so much fun. The above pictures are the before and here are some of the in progress.....</div>
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The desk had an ugly mirror on it that we removed and then cut out the wood to create a window then Deke added some trim around it. He built some small shelves to hold the baskets of food.</div>
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We painted one cupboard door with metallic paint and I added chalkboard vinyl to make it look like a double oven.<br />
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The paint on the burners had started to wear off so I took a Sharpie marker and went over them and they looked brand new again. </div>
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I bought some wood circles at michael's and painted them like cookies.....</div>
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also wooden balls that I painted and put in mini muffin foils to look like truffles and some on lollipop sticks to look like cake pops. I spent several nights sitting up watching home shows and painting away all sorts of yummy treats. Deke would come in and shake his head smiling asking me what I was making for the bakery now. I was having so much fun trying to make all the little details feel as realistic as I could for her. <br />
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We found a small wood sign at hobby lobby that was shaped really cute and knew it would work perfect for the top. I painted it and added some vinyl lettering and thought it turned out pretty darn cute.</div>
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Found some fabric to match the colors in the sign and sewed a small curtain for the kitchen. It is really starting to come together. The other night we called Santa and got his voice mail which said to leave our name and our christmas list. Each of the kids took a turn leaving a message, soon it was Em's turn. "Hi Santa it's me Emma Burch and for Christmas I just really really reeeeaaalllly want a bakery or play kitchen and nothing else" I looked at Deke, "Merry Christmas Santa!!!" she added and then passed the phone on to Hudson. I couldn't stop smiling, I am so excited to give it to her I can hardly wait!!!<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-7288784393276869842014-12-13T11:45:00.000-08:002015-01-31T11:09:07.349-08:00Feeding reindeer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year at schnepf farms they had baby reindeer that you could pet and feed, we took a hayride out to see them. We were given ice cream cones filled with food to feed them but on the ride out there the man driving told us the reindeer loved the peach leaves off of the trees more than the pellet food. </div>
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The orchard was right next to the reindeer so as soon as they had finished off the pellets Deke and Hunter went over and started gathering small branches filled with peach leaves. Sure enough the reindeer started all coming over and gathering at the fences, they loved them so more much. They were so cute and very gentle, they didn't try to bite at all. Hudson could feed them all by himself, he would go up to the fence with a handful of leaves and reach through to feed one. Then he would start giggling, "him tickled me" he would say. <br />
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It was so fun that the kids could feed them all on their own. It provided quite the comedic moment when one sneezed in Ave's face as she was feeding it. The reindeer were so cute and we stayed out there feeding them peach leaves until the last hayride back was getting ready to go. <br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-59439766705028237272014-12-13T10:26:00.000-08:002015-01-31T10:28:00.813-08:00Nighttime train ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We went to the McCormick Stillman railroad park in Scottsdale to ride the holiday train. We could not believe how many people were there and how long the line was when we got there. As we stood in line we talked to the people around us who assured us that it would be worth the wait. Deke and I took turns holding our place in line while the other one took the kids around to see some of the other things in the park like the giant steam engine that was all lit up with christmas lights.... </div>
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All the trees in the park were lit up and they had Christmas music playing. They had a carousel and a railroad museum filled with model trains. <br />
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After an hour and a half of waiting we got ready to board the train. Hudson could hardly stand it he was so excited. We were right by the gate when they told us we would have to wait for the next train, they were completely full. As the train pulled away Hudson went to pieces, "no train! come back! no go bye bye!!!" he was beside himself. It took a minute for Deke and I to be able to convince him that it was coming right back and when it pulled back into the station he started cheering and clapping. <br />
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Off we went through the park that was completely decorated with all sorts of fun light displays. It looked awesome and Hudson was wide eyed the entire time. It was really fun and worth the wait. Just walking around the park and riding the train really got me in the Christmas spirit. Hudson can't stop talking about seeing Thomas and riding on him. <br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-1147531066185821902014-12-09T20:42:00.000-08:002015-01-24T20:43:45.767-08:00Olaf the mischievious<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Olaf was back watching over the house this season and this year he was into all sorts of mischief. One morning we woke up and he had given everyone mustaches.....</div>
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He decided to take a relaxing marshmallow bath,<br />
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The kids were shocked to wake up one morning to see that he had toilet papered the Christmas tree. <br />
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The girls could not stop laughing when we came home one afternoon and he had hitched the ponies together as a team and was riding princess Luna. Emma said she thought he was pretending he was Santa. <br />
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He made snow angels on the counter in some flour,<br />
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and got himself stuck behind a window.</div>
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Every single morning in Dec. the kids woke me up at the side of my bed excitedly telling me what new place they had found Olaf. They enjoyed it even more this year than last. Thanks Olaf for adding to our Christmas fun. <br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-20670982714622069262014-12-09T20:32:00.000-08:002015-01-24T20:43:16.970-08:00holiday gift shop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One afternoon the kids all worked together to make a holiday gift shop in the girls room. They made and found all sorts of "presents" assigned them prices and opened up shop for customers. The girls were the cute, festive cashiers. Hunter had been hired to be the security guard and I was told that Hudson was the "guy in charge of cleaning up after the shop was closed." Bummer. Sorry little man, that whole pecking order thing. </div>
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The kids were so excited when I came to the store with actual money in hand to purchase things. They hurried over to provide me with excellent customer service excitedly showing me all the available items. I filled my basket and then headed to the register reminding them that anything they made from dad or I had to be split evenly. As I was checking out they asked me if I wanted to be part of the coupon club and had me fill out my information. <br />
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<style type="text/css">table, tr, td { background-color:transparent; border:none; border-width:0;} body { background-position: top left;background-repeat: no-repeat;background-attachment: fixed; background-image:url(http://www.pyzamstuff.com/user_images/1/9c/74d8f698.jpg); } table table table td { filter:alpha(opacity=85); -moz-opacity:0.85; opacity:0.85; -khtml-opacity:0.85;}</style>They changed inventory and an hour later I was back to shopping again. As soon as Deke came in the door from work they were hurrying him in to shop. At the end of business day they all sat together and counted their earnings, figuring out how to divide it equally among themselves. Its amazing how exciting some extra change can be :)<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-60440045501856568152014-12-09T19:48:00.000-08:002015-01-24T20:49:06.272-08:00"Gimme a queeze"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh this boy!!! He loves his momma. He was always a cuddly baby and still loves to climb up on my lap and snuggle even as a toddler. "Mommy gimme a queeze!!!" he will say and then throw his arms around my neck and start squeezing me and wait until I throw my arms around him and start squeezing him back. There really is nothing better than holding and cuddling my little ones. Thanks buddy your squeezes are the best!! </div>
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-17180728762715106552014-12-06T18:48:00.000-08:002015-01-20T18:48:40.615-08:00Dipping pretzels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Holiday baking is my favorite. I love preparing treat plates for neighbors and friends. All of our kids love helping in the kitchen and as they are getting older I am trying to find more recipes that they are able to help with. This year we made some of our usual Christmas goodies but wanted to try something new. We got some pretzel rods, dipping chocolate, different toppings and decided to try our hand at dipping pretzels. </div>
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I showed them how to dip the rods in the chocolate and use a spoon to create a drizzle, then laid all the ingredients out on the table gave each kid a bundle of pretzels and told them to have at it!! </div>
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<span id="goog_2138329456"></span><span id="goog_2138329457"></span>The kids dipped over seventy pretzels completely by themselves!! Not only that but they looked awesome. It was fun to see the different combinations they came up with and the creativity they used.<br />
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Hunter made these snowmen pretzels....<br />
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Later that afternoon Hunter made his first batch of homemade popcorn balls again all by himself. Now time for lots of tasting :) </div>
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-90531290755717981822014-12-03T08:54:00.000-08:002015-01-20T18:48:13.030-08:00Chandler parade of lights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-23540369666175205652014-12-03T08:43:00.000-08:002015-01-20T18:47:59.784-08:00Christmastime is here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Christmastime is here!!! Can't believe how fast it has come. Right after we got home from up north we decided to put up our tree. Hunter and I put up the tree and strung the lights then we let the kids put the ornaments on this year completely by themselves. Hudson could hang them by himself this year and he hung all of his ornaments in a big clump. It was so cute to watch him. <br />
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They all worked together and soon it was done. The kids grabbed their pillows and blankets, we turned off the lights and read stories snuggled by the tree. <br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-88438791900166863632014-11-30T22:00:00.000-08:002015-01-20T18:47:43.290-08:00Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After the funeral and the luncheon we all headed back to grandma and grandpa's house to enjoy some family time. The afternoon was filled with visiting, sharing stories about grandpa, and letting the cousins play. Late in the afternoon the kids hurried me outside to show me a fort they had built out in the yard with their cousins. It made my heart hurt since all throughout my childhood this was one of our favorite things to do as cousins was build forts in the yard. Now here were my children passing on the tradition. It is so interesting to me the way certain things in life continue passing on through the generations. </div>
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Lots of time to hold each other and love on all these sweet little ones we have running around. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I0tdzYqkeOE/VKr8LTXgVXI/AAAAAAAAgFg/aoFoG6g6a-4/s1600/IMG_8017%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I0tdzYqkeOE/VKr8LTXgVXI/AAAAAAAAgFg/aoFoG6g6a-4/s1600/IMG_8017%5B1%5D.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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We enjoyed the time together and the next day before we headed home we stopped by the cemetery one more time. Miss you papa, love you.<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-78000358495039811602014-11-30T21:13:00.000-08:002015-01-20T18:50:19.964-08:00Papa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After we took the kids to see grandpa on Sunday his health continued to quickly decline. By Thursday they moved him to a really nice hospice center. Thursday night Deke and I went alone without the kids to see him. The spirit there was so peaceful and calm. We were able to go in and be alone with him together. Deke sat on the couch and let me sit by grandpa and say my goodbyes. I was able to thank him for a lifetime of wonderful memories, tell him how much I loved him and ask him to kiss our babies when he sees them. It was so hard to say goodbye and as we left I knew it was the last time I would see him before he passed. The next afternoon he passed away very peacefully with my mom and Eden in the room with him. It has been very emotional and hard for our entire family. When we sat the kids down and told them, they all cried and cried. We know where grandpa is and have peace in that but it is so strange without him here and I miss him so much. </div>
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His funeral was the weekend after Thanksgiving. A friend of theirs had made him a beautiful casket that was exactly what he would have wanted. It had horseshoe handles, an elk and elk tracks imprinted on the side, Trailor his nickname on the bottom and even some camo fabric inside. There was a beautiful flower arrangement on top that they had placed a trap in the middle of since he trapped all of his life. The funeral was nice, all of his kids did his life sketch and the grandkids sang. Soon it was time to head over to the cemetery. Both Deke and Hunter had been asked to be pallbearers. As I watched my husband and son alongside all my cousins helping to carry grandpa to his resting place it was so tender. Watching Deke do this service for my grandpa I felt so much love and gratitude for him. I feel so blessed. Hunter has had a hard time with the loss, he has had some very special times with papa. <br />
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Kendon played guitar and the grand and great grandkids sang. Then the boys each placed their flowers on top of the casket.<br />
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They lowered him down and each of us took turns helping shovel some of the dirt and tossing our flowers into the grave. As we all worked together as a family, serving grandpa in this way the spirit was so strong and I couldn't stop the tears. We are all so grateful for grandpa, the things he taught us and the life that he lived. We look forward to the day we get to see you again grandpa, we love you.<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-11659428829016816232014-11-30T15:00:00.000-08:002015-01-13T13:13:51.544-08:00Leaves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we walked out of the museum the kids found a strip of sidewalk that was covered with leaves and instantly started working together to pile them up.</div>
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They held the pile together counted to three, then jumped and tossed them as high as they could. Leaves came down everywhere followed with girly squealing and laughing. "That was awesome!! Let's do it again" and off they went gathering again. </div>
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I love the joy that our kids find in the simple things. They spent all day at the museum and then walked outside, found some leaves and had more fun in the twenty minutes they had playing in them. Being a kid is magical. <br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-68627708651799999632014-11-30T13:12:00.000-08:002015-01-13T13:12:24.004-08:00idea museum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A lot of the museums in town do free days the first of the month for people to be able to come and visit with their families. It is so nice and we have taken our family to almost all of the museums to spend an afternoon together. We decided to check out the idea museum in Mesa since we had never been there. They had a really fun insect exhibit going on with all sorts of activities having to do with bugs. They had an area about bees where the kids dressed up as bees and then on the ground they had to follow dotted lines that mimicked the flight pattern of a bee. The costumes were hilarious and then watching them running around in them was hysterical. </div>
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They had a puppet theater area, an awesome black light room set up with tents, fishing poles and other camping fun.<br />
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Lost of arts and crafts stations for the kids to create different projects. This particular one they designed their own glasses.<br />
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A theater with a stage where they could dress up in costume and put on different plays for the audience...</div>
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Artville a play area for the smaller kids to play farm, house, blocks and be able to play and climb. <br />
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Out front they had some really cool musical instruments for the kids to play. Love these days together as a fam.<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-13372899366332415992014-11-28T22:35:00.000-08:002015-01-11T21:55:23.889-08:00LEGO Robotics Competition @ ASU<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every week this kid could not wait for Friday night. He LOVES Lego league. Since the beginning of August their team has been designing and learning to program their robots and preparing them for competition. Each of them were given an NXT kit and asked to come up with a robot design that they felt would be able to best complete the required tasks. Then they tested each of the robots on the playing field and decided as a team which elements of the different designs that they wanted to incorporate in their team robot. They ended up choosing Hunter's design which was exciting and then spent the next few months learning to program the robot to complete as many tasks as they could. Before we knew it the competition was here. Twenty two teams from around AZ met at ASU polytechnic to battle their robots. I was surprised to see the variety of size, experience, and age of the different teams. Ages of the kids competing ranged from 8-14, there were a couple small teams like Hunter's with only four of five kids and then some large teams associated with ASU that had twenty plus kids on them. This was the first year for all the kids on Hunter's team to compete and some of the teams had had quite a few years of experience together under their belt. I dropped Hunter off early and he and his team set up their station and began prepping everything while I ran back to get the rest of the fam. </div>
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Shot of the playing fields for the robots....<br />
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Pic of their robot....<br />
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Once they were all set up their team had to go in and do a presentation for the judges about the theme for 2014 "Learning unleashed" talking about the different ways they each learn and solve problems and what they learned about programming their robot. They then spent the rest of the afternoon battling robots with all the other teams. When it was their turn they would have two minutes and thirty seconds to have the robot complete as many of the ten tasks as it could. It was nerve wracking to watch. The really neat thing was that Hunter was in charge of the programming the entire day. The timer would start and the ref would say "Le-go!" Hunter would enter the code and off the robot would go to the first task. Once that one was completed it would come back to Hunter and he would put in a different code and send it on its way again to another task. Sometimes when it came back he would add different attachments or sensors that were needed in order to complete the specific task. </div>
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There were a couple of times the robot got off course or got stuck and Hunter had to grab it and start again which was a bummer. Every time you touch the robot once it is out of the starting square it deducts points. Hunter did such an awesome job and stayed so calm even when they had a few hiccups. The best part was getting to sit and cheer him on and watch his team cheer him on as he worked.<br />
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When the buzzer sounded the ref would show him their score card for that match and go over how many points were earned and deducted. Then they would go back to their station and get back to the computers to work on adjustments and modifications to fine tune any problems they were having with certain tasks. <br />
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I walked over to the computer and sat and watched for a minute as Hunter worked on one part of the program that they were having a hard time with. I was amazed just watching how much he had learned, how he knew how to make changes in the program and then would go test the robot on the practice field and then go back and fine tune again until the robot would get it exactly right. <br />
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They battled all afternoon, it was so neat to watch and so much fun. Deke and I couldn't stop talking about how impressed we were with the way he led his team. <br />
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We were there from eight to five and it was really neat because Mom and Eden were able to come and Dad, Lisa and even Brenn and Berks were there. So much family to cheer him on.<br />
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At the end of the day they took 13th out of 22 which was awesome for their first year and being such a small team. <br />
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It was so perfect for Hunter, he loved it!! On the way home he kept talking about how great it was and what he wanted to do different next year with his robot design. I loved his ASU FLL shirt being an ASU alumni seeing the LEGO head with devil horns made me smile. Had so much fun watching you today dude, you are the lego master. Can't wait for next year!! :) :)<br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-61640042981426360532014-11-28T21:52:00.000-08:002015-01-11T21:54:40.099-08:00Thanksgiving <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year we spent Thanksgiving at dad's house with all the girls. Lots of good food, visiting and games. Dad organized his annual Mac bowl including activities like bean bag tossing, pool and darts. I was thankful to be together as a family for the first time in quite awhile. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PfzzkQmdyks/VKr5GQNxSwI/AAAAAAAAgDs/UfgQFADQyS8/s1600/IMG_7894%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PfzzkQmdyks/VKr5GQNxSwI/AAAAAAAAgDs/UfgQFADQyS8/s1600/IMG_7894%5B1%5D.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I was the most grateful for all the time the cousins had to play and be together. Watching the kids with Berkley makes me smile. Emma can't get enough of her. She grits her teeth, squeezes her and tries to pick her up. <br />
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Hudson and Berks played in grandma's big bathtub. So flippin cute.<br />
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I love being an aunt and am so thankful for my little niece, she is so sweet and that night as she sat on my lap and I read her a book I realized how much fun there is ahead with her and all my nieces and nephews to come. Thankful for my sisters that I love so much. So thankful for Deke, our beautiful babies and our very full and happy everyday life together. <br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-89981517835130888162014-11-23T14:05:00.000-08:002015-01-11T23:07:28.523-08:00Songs of thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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She was so excited and as they got ready to start all the kids were busy talking to each other and Ave sat there grinning. I straightened her hair and curled it and she looked so grown up. <br />
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The songs they sang were really cute and soon it was time for Avery to say her part. For some reason the teachers had assigned two kids for each line which did not work because none of them could say their parts in unison so you couldn't even understand what they were saying. When Ave and her partner came up to say their part she shot him a look then counted on her fingers 1,2,3 and then in perfect unison they said their part. It was the cutest thing. She had sat there and watched the other kids and decided there was no way she was going to sound like the other groups and came up with a plan. When they stepped up to the mic and we saw her start counting we could not stop laughing it was so adorable. Smart kid :) That's my girl Ave :) <br />
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For the backdrop they had made a giant turkey, each of the kids had made a feather and on it written what they were thankful for. After the performance Ave took us on stage to show us her feather adorned with hearts and the phrase "I am thankful for my family." It melted my heart. So simple yet it spoke volumes. We are so grateful for you our sweet Avery girl, so grateful. <br />
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38410645.post-12266057458550126272014-11-16T12:06:00.000-08:002015-01-13T13:01:23.645-08:00Tender moments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In October Grandpa Hatch had a heart attack.. It left him very weak and his health started rapidly declining. He was moved to a care center in Globe where we all hoped he'd recuperate. He improved a little but soon he was moved down to the valley to Banner Baywood hospital and his condition worsened. Knowing his time left here on earth was nearing an end Deke and I tried to go and see him at the hospital as much as we could. We had been talking to the kids a lot trying to help prepare them for the loss. He has been a very active great grandpa in their life and they are all very close to him and grandma. We decided to take the kids to the hospital to see him and essentially say their goodbyes to him while he was still aware enough to know they were there. Even though he couldn't really talk at that point and was very weak, as soon as the kids walked in he started reaching for them, I could tell he wanted to hold Hudson. His eyes lit up as the kids started talking to him and hugging him. We had been sitting in there visiting when he leaned over to Lisa and quietly said, "I wanna go." The spirit was so strong and we all knew that he was ready and was trying to prepare us that it was close. I started to cry and looked over to see tears streaming down my kids faces. Deke and I walked out into the hall with them and held them as they cried. It was so tender. We headed back inside and let each of the kids hug and kiss him and say their goodbyes. As we drove home we talked about heaven and knowing that we would see him again. Even though we have know for a few years now that the cancer would take him he had been doing so well that it was hard to have it all happen so fast. We had just been up north fishing with him in August and now we had only days. Loss is so hard. I am so grateful that we lived close enough that we could spend those days with him while he was in the hospital. Grateful for the tender mercies of Heavenly Father allowing our children to be able to say their goodbyes in a way that was peaceful even though it was hard. Grateful for the extra time that he was given to watch grandkids and great grandkids grow. </div>
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Kel and Dekehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03298530979047652340noreply@blogger.com2