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| Michelle reading to Anita while she wears her new dress |
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| Michelle and Sandy at Blue Bunny |
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| Kristina and a guest in the butterly pavilion, Omaha Zoo |
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| Anita and I cheesing it up and Kristina took the picture |
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| Fabian turned one |
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| Lula turned 9, that one gigantic candle in the middle |
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| Pa's b'day and the girls helping |
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| At the Denver Aquarium |
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| Brendas b'day, cake by Kristina |
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| Anita helped to tear up the floor. Dad and Jim replaced it |
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| we went to the park a lot during this time |
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| Renaissance Fair with the large birds |
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| Kristina and Anita were declared princesses |
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| ArtSplash, Anita in front and Kristina jumping in the back |
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| Anita on her birthday opening presents |
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| birthday crew at the Kaufmans |
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| Baby Cierra made her first family gathering |
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| pumpkin patch in Lawton |
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| Kristina loved the corn box |
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| Happy Halloween |
I've been thinking about getting back on here but then feel overwhelmed with how to report everything that has happened since last getting on here and so much has happened. Biggest news throughout this time has been Brenda's treatment. She had two surgeries, is almost finished with radiation and her first round of chemo. She has been so strong and brave throughout it all and managed to keep working and being a great mom to Kristina. As this is also a busy time with fall activities and birthdays she has been on the go and managed to host a birthday party for Kristina at Play All Day. Other exciting news was that our friends Sandy and Michelle came from Illinois to visit and we had a fun time spending time with them. Impossible not to acknowledge the sadness too in that Denny wasn't with them and they are continuing through a difficult season of birthdays and holidays themselves. For celebrations in order of occurrence: Lucy turned 5, Brenda 42, April 35, JoJo 8, Jenny 40, Pa 64, Fabian 1, Tanner 3, Lula 9, Kristina 7 and Anita 2. We ate cake at each one of those celebrations and Anita is quite the baker and decorator. In August we did go to Omaha for the weekend and had a great time at the zoo and CoCo Key. We had a long detour due to flooding and Anita had to work very hard at not constantly touching Kristina's hair or pulling it. Anita's health was pretty good all summer until August when the flood water began receding, harvesting began and we have had very little precipitation. So, we have been back to the doctor three times in six weeks and of course nothing is wrong just allergies. But, those allergies have kept us up most nights and she is also teething which has led to mommy being bit two times in the last week. Jim is working at Charlie Zook and with his hours and days off combined with me taking a day a week off in October we were able to give grandma a little break as she attempts to manage life and the extra care required in helping with Brenda. We have also been to the Sioux Falls Zoo with Holly and the kids and last weekend went to the pumpkin patch. There seems to have been a celebration or get together every weekend since August so we are looking forward to life slowing down a little bit as we enter the holidays and want to enjoy them. Anita went with Kristina trick or treating last night and had a good time. We also visited cousins on Jim's side of the family and stopped to see him at work. She was the cutest monkey ever. Anita continues to grow (she's in the 80th percentile for height and weight.) She talks non stop and wants to be such a helper. No one is allowed to touch ice and put it in a cup w/o her. She also waters plants, feeds birds, puts laundry away and picks up trash. I help, I look, I do it are some of the common themes. She wants to do it herself and usually has a pretty good idea of how to get it all done. She loves to play hide and seek and only needs to work on alternative hiding spots as she frequents the same ones over and over. A few funnies from the last week are following Pa to the pumpkin patch and he pulled in to put gas in the car. I told Anita he needed to get gas and she said, "Me too, I toot." Tonight she has been using a flashlight to look in our mouths and ears (too many dr. appts.) Tonight I asked if she saw anything in my ears and she said, "rocks." Then she went to Jim and said she saw "bugs." She makes us laugh every day and can't believe how much she can remember and then act out. She was jumping around over the weekend telling us she was a cricket. She is also ordering us to her room for school and "I teach." Kristina is her teacher and also fashion guru. Anita is picking up on that style and today when I asked her what she wanted to wear she said, "blue dress." Luckily we had one. I could go on forever but this gets me back on and my goal is to write every week and my other goal is to order prints from Snapfish every month. I just finished loading and printing off pics from a whole year which took a ridiculous amount of time and then I didn't get to enjoy Anita's pictures all year. I'll post just a few tonight. Oh my, I feel even more overwhelmed looking back at pictures. Completely forgot about going to ArtSplash, the Renaissance Fair, replacing the kitchen floor and our trip to Denver. No wonder I'm tired.
