Ramblings from the Not-So-Typical Stay at Home Mom

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Tired Tired Mommy
2008-02-18 20:15:00
I keep telling people that I don't remember being this tired during my pregnancies with either of my girls. But then again, with Miss Turtle I was very young and energy was limitless. When I was pregnant with Little Bear, I wasn't chasing toddlers around and acting as a chauffer/maid to a really messy 9 year old. So that is why I am so tired!I have been nothing but exhausted for the last few weeks and I don't see it getting better any time soon. I am told the 3rd trimester will be better, but I somehow do not really believe that at the moment.I am almost 27 weeks and counting down to 40. Well 41 since my midwife told me that they could be kind and induce at 41 weeks this time rather than 42. My babies like to come late. I will be around more once I can keep my eyes open without the tears of yawning clouding them. :Dhttp://www.text-link-ads.com/xml_blogge r.php?inventory_key=7FK6WL5FBEDW4QBQPZ4C& feed=1
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One of those Moments
2008-02-12 15:53:00
There are always those moments that remind you exactly why you love your significant other so much. It's not like you don't remember or that you don't love them everyday, because you do, it's just those little moments that catch you and you flash back to why you got together in the first place.I love those moments and had one myself the other day.Hubby and I took Little Bear with us to Target to look at some wire shelves for the new craft closet and pick up a few random groceries. When we reached the check out lane, I did my usual quick visual sweep of the "impulse buy" rack. I spotted a Littlest Pet Shop turtle toy and instantly placed a disposable camera in front of it. I told Hubby what I had done (using a lot of spelled words and acronyms) and he replied, "Well, it has been a few days since she has found her turtle." I smiled a little and said, "It's only $3."I handed it to him and watched his entire face light up. He started talking to Little Bear and hid the toy tur...
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A Child's Guide to the Stomach Virus
2008-02-07 21:13:00
1. Always make sure that you get sick sometime after parental bedtime but before sunrise.2. Be sure that you miss the toilet at lesat once.3. Insist that you feel better and then repeat the vomitting a few hours later.4. Always eat something red or another bright color the night before you begin vomitting.5. Be sure to breath on everyone around you so that everyone gets to share your joy.Can you tell that we have been dealing with a stomach bug?http://www.text-link-ads.com/xml_blog ger.php?inventory_key=7FK6WL5FBEDW4QBQPZ4 C&feed=1
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Photographic Evidence
2008-02-05 05:38:00
Little Bear always fought me when it came to anything girly. She refused to wear bracelets or hair bows and she was not a fan of anything with ruffles on it. Then one day she started asking me for pink clothes. She wanted everything pink (or with kitties or kitty spots) and I happily pulled out her pink frilly clothing. I thought that this was great. Then one day she found a Hello Kitty bracelet that I made for her a while back and she demanded that it get put on her wrist immediately. Again, I a=happily followed orders. So with these two new revelations in the world of Little Bear, I decided to try the whole hair bow and pigtails thing again. Up until this point she flat out refused to have her done. No bows, no ties, and would run from the brush. After her bath one morning I pulled out her favorite striped polo shirt that has a picture of Rocket from Little Einsteins embroidered on it. We put her shirt and jeans on and I carefully asked if she would like to wear the bow...
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Suppressing Creativity
2008-02-01 23:43:00
Quick side note: Things have been all sorts of pear shaped in my world lately and I haven't had much to post about other than random bitching. Nothing is wrong and we are all fine.With Hubby's recent night shift hours, he has Friday off and usually only sleeps until about 11 or noon and does something fun with us. Today we took Little Bear to the Children's Museum. She LOVES it there! It is so much fun to watch her run around and engage in different activities. I am a firm believer in letting children express their own creativity. Even if that means they want to put a Christmas Tree on their Halloween drawing in the middle of July. We were sitting in the art studio area helping Little Bear glue some foam hearts to a piece of pink construction paper. Behind us there was a mother with her two girls and the mother told them they were going to make Valentine's Day cards. Then proceeded to tell the littlest girl "Ellie" that she should stop using the black paper since it wa...
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When life spins out of control, grab a basket of socks
2008-01-26 20:25:00
Last night I had a melt down. Part of it was the fact that I have some crazy hormones pulsing through my body and that other part is the fact that so many areas of my life have been out of my control lately. Mainly the whole situation with the car and the snowball avalanche that created. Nothing I could do about any of it and it just got to me. I will admit that in a lot of ways I am a bit of a control freak. I like things to be done the "right way" and I like to be able to say "I want to do this" and be able to do it right then. So when I get that nesting bug up my butt I want to clear out the office and get everything situated to start moving in the baby stuff. What expectant momma isn't excited for new crib bedding and fun blankies? So last night I was trying to move things around in the office so that Hubby could load it into the car and get it moved over to storage today. Everything I touched created a snowball. I would move a bag of gift wrap and I would end up with quilt bat...
More About: Life , Basket , Control , Out Of Control , Spins

It's been an intersting week
2008-01-25 17:21:00
I just got my car back from the shop on Weds. Unfortunately, the thing that it was doing when we took it in is STILL HAPPENING!! Two thousand dollars and three weeks and the damn car is still stalling out when I start it. The work order from Firestone says right at the very top in all capital letters that this is what the car is doing and this is what the PAYING customer who has been loyal for 22 freaking years wants fixed.Ya. Not too happy about that one. Hubby started the overnight shifts this week as well. I must have some crazy selective hearing because I thought he said three weeks was the duration. I was very positive and told myself that just three weeks is no biggie and we can deal with that. Um...no...It's three months. Little Bear throws a huge tantrum every single morning for at least 2-3 hours because Daddy is home and not lavishing his attention on her. Would it be wrong to kick him out and make him sleep elsewhere until the night work was over?On top of that, I had to...
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Rock Star Momma
2008-01-20 22:36:00
Last week I got to take a trip to the library all by myself. I love the library. People are supposed to be quiet, I can look at tons of things that interest me, and I can take home a bag full of stuff without putting a dent in the old credit card. It is a wonderful place.So I am browsing the aisles of the "New Books" section when I come across a bright blue and pink book called "Rock Star Momma . The Hip Guide to Looking Gorgeous Through All Nine Months and Beyond." I thought it looked pretty cool so I picked it up and added to my growing pile of books. I usually flip through some pages but a very impatient woman was all but whining and doing the potty dance behind me to get a book about photography above my head. A nice excuse me would have sufficed. Oh well.Fast Forward to today when I finally have a moment to myself to lie my lazy as son the bed and read for a bit. I was so excited to learn new facial scrubs from oatmeal to treat myself and feeling like a Rock star. I was going to...

More stories of Poo. This time at Burger King.
2008-01-17 07:35:00
Poop seems to be a hot topic on my blog, so why not add some more. Today my friend and I took our kiddos to Burger King to have some fries and play in the play area. We had just given them the "we're leaving in 5 minutes" call when I thought I smelled poop. Little Bear was the only kid in diapers there so I figured it was here. I started to tell my friend what I thought I smelled and needed to go get the diaper bag when I look over and Little Bear has her hand shoved down the back of her pants. I start to tell her not to do that in case she has poop when she pulled her hand out and showed me a finger full of yuck.I soaked her hands in a ton of antibacterial gel and got the diaper bag. We went into the the bathroom where there was no changing table. How do they have a kid play area and no changing table? So of course Little Bear is freaking out about changing her bum while standing up so I put the diaper changing mat down and lay her on the floor of a stall, gagging at the thought o...
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Rainbows and Bunnies
2008-01-14 04:19:00
Okay, so maybe it's not exactly rainbows and bunnies, but it's cute redheads and a new bike! So it is very rainbow and bunnies-ish. We took Little Bear outside to ride her bike that Hubby just got around to putting together today (while he was supposed to be getting ready to leave the house...dork). She had so much fun even if she couldn't figure out that she had to push the peddles forward rather than backward. It was really funny to watch her slam on the brakes while Hubby was pushing...Little Bear says "always remember, safety first" :D http://www.text-link-ads.com/xml_blogger. php?inventory_key=7FK6WL5FBEDW4QBQPZ4C&fe ed=1
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Bitchy Whiny Post
2008-01-13 21:38:00
Dear Readers, I apologize for not updating you on my blog much lately. I do have a semi-good valid reason for my lack of posts though. I am a grumpy bitch. I have not had a working car for almost two weeks now, have a ton of Christmas boxes in my house that cannot be moved without said car, and even if I had the car I am on partial bed rest because of my sciatic nerve until I see what my physical therapist says tomorrow and couldn't move them anyway.So you can see why I have been so grumpy. Add a nice layer of crappy family problems and a few too many hormones in my order and you have one grumpy bitch.Sure I could get online and post about the length of time my hubby takes to get ready yet yells at me to hurry, or about the bike that he JUST put together from Christmas when he was supposed to be getting ready, or the fact that I can't walk and Miss Turtle's room looks like something post nuclear war.But really, would you want to read a week's worth of bitching form a grumpy bitc...
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Country Music lies!
2008-01-09 22:06:00
There is a country song I heard the other night that says "Easy on the eyes, Hard on the Heart" Granted, I didn't really listen to too much more than those words but I got the distinct impression that she was telling me that good looking guys turn out to be jerks. Therefor, a guy who is not that great looking will turn out to be the best guy you ever found. Um ya. I think this is a load of crap.Take my hubby for instance. While he might not be gracing the next cover of GQ, he is very sexy. I find him very attractive and attraction leads to the kind of thing that is in my uterus right now. He is very easy on my eyes.Yet, according to the song because I find him to be hot he should be a jerk right?My husband could not be a full out jerk if he tried. Maybe it is because he loves me, but even when we are bickering I have never thought of him as a jerk. Sure he has his jerk-ish moments, who doesn't, but he is not a jerk. He is kind and caring and would follow me around the world. He ha...
More About: Music , Country , Country Music , Lies

The Sweet, the Funny, and the Sad
2008-01-07 17:32:00
I try not to talk about it too much on here because it involves a lot of other lives than my own, but Miss Turtle's dad is not exactly a candidate for "Father of the Year". He is not terrible by any means as he is not abusive, but he certainly could use some help. He drinks a lot,doesn't have a car due to the drinking and driving and then engaging in a brawl with the officer, and he likes to let the "little woman" take care of everything. His latest ex-wife took care of everything when they were together. When I needed to discuss something about Miss Turtle with him, I called his wife. It was the only way to do things. Now that they are divorced, the ex-wife makes half-assed attempts to get in contact with Miss Turtle, but she can see right through it an realizes that the whole step-mom thing is fading.So now her dad has a new girlfriend. A cute little just barely 19 year old that used to be Miss Turtle's horse trainer. This girl is not on a family path right now. She is on the "...
More About: Funny , Sweet

Pie Pie Pie!
2008-01-03 06:51:00
When does a slice a pie become so big that it is no longer considered a slice and more like something Miss Piggy would eat for lunch? It is no secret that I am a HUGE fan of pie. I made two pies in advanced for my family on Christmas. Unfortunately the weather botched those plans and I was left with a very yummy homemade cherry pie as well as an apple pie. For a few days I took a large slice after lunch or dinner, and once for breakfast. Then I decided that the pie was going to go to bad if I didn't eat it. Hubby hates fruit pies and the kids weren't too fond of them either. So my slice the other night got just a bit bigger.I am not sure if it was small enough to still be considered a slice...http://www.text-link-ads.com/xml_ blogger.php?inventory_key=7FK6WL5FBEDW4QB QPZ4C&feed=1

Best of 2007 Blog Exchange
2008-01-01 19:40:00
Two-thousand-seven is officially O-V-E-R.At the beginning of a new year, I'm always optimistic about the great things I hope to accomplish and then I'm amazed at how quickly time flies. To commemorate all things 2007, here are some "Best of" highlights I'd like to present, month by month:JanuaryBest Winter Activity - Sledding with Dawson was quite fun. Although I spent most of the time pulling him on the sled, up and down hills, sweating my ass off underneath the long johns, jeans, turtleneck sweater, coat, hat and mittens I was wearing. I didn't realize this activity was actually considered exercise. January was also the month that Karen created my current blog design that I love, love, love. (It almost won a Blog ger's Choice Award. I was only short 687 votes. Hee hee.)FebruaryBest Valentine's Gift - A fabulous steak and shrimp dinner my husband cooked for me. I'm giving him and award for his culinary masterpiece. He even made twice-baked potatoes - my favorite - and he hate...
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The Results are In.
2008-01-01 07:45:00
Today was my 20 week ultrasound appointment. The baby is sitting very low in the pelivs and they were unable to get a good look at the spine, so I get to see my little pork chop again in a month. Very exciting. Although we didn't get to see the spine very well, we got a great look at the sex of the baby. We will soon be having a Little Man running around the house. I am so excited!I was convinced that this baby was a girl. I had all the same symptoms that I did with the girls and was carrying low and wide just like the girls. I was certain. Turns out that mommy was wrong and that Little Man was already playing tricks on his momma.http://www.text-link-ads.com/xml_bl ogger.php?inventory_key=7FK6WL5FBEDW4QBQP Z4C&feed=1
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As the sound of jingling bells fade...
2007-12-30 01:25:00
Christmas has come and gone. I worked so hard to get everything ready and spent every free moment shopping, wrapping, and cleaning the house. Everything went great. We had one little snafu and an almost Christmas Caper, but it was still an amazing Christmas this year.On Christmas Eve, Uncle Dipshit took my grandmother to the bank where he had set up a "secret account" with her. That is when he found out that my dad (who is now the full conservator over my grandmother's money) had closed all of his sneaky little ways to supplement his income. It was not pretty. Uncle Dipshit said some very horrible and false things to my grandmother about my father and "his family". My poor grandmother was all worked up and still has not calmed down from the whole ordeal. This is half of what caused our little snafu.The other half was good ole Colorado weather. We thought we were going to get an inch or two of snow but woke up to about 5 and it kept coming down. I had not heard from my family so I p...
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Merry Christmas!!
2007-12-24 16:02:00
We have been so busy preparing for Christmas . We are very blessed that there have been so many presents to wrap, cookies to bake, and decorations to put up. We are truly blessed to have so many people to see and give gifts to. It is going to be a great year and I hope that each and every one of you has a wonderful Christmas!Myspace Graphics- At Myspacejunks.comhttp://www.text-link-ads. com/xml_blogger.php?inventory_key=7FK6WL5 FBEDW4QBQPZ4C&feed=1
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Selfish Mommy
2007-12-19 19:26:00
I went to a focus group on Monday night to discuss frozen foods and collect my $75 cash honorarium. Good money for an hour and half long discussion and a free sandwich. In the beginning of the group we were all asked to introduce ourselves with our name, where we lived, what we did for a living, and what we would do if we had one hour and money was not an issue. The first woman introduced herself as a full time working mom with a second job and her hour of free time would be spent working with her horses. Another woman introduced her self as retired and looking for work in the environmental wildlife industry. Her free hour would be spent in the forests helping animals. The third woman at the table introduced herself as retired and would love to get her grandchildren together for something fun like a helicopter hide. The final woman at the table other than me introduced her self as an in-home health care provider and companion who spends her time between work and taking care of her g...
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Digital Christmas Wishes
2007-12-19 19:14:00
Little Bear was just 6 months old when we bought our very first digital camera. We bought it on sale from WalMart.com and it arrived just before Thanksgiving. Hubby and I decided that it was our early Christmas present to each other. I was so excited to be able to take pictures and see how they looked without worrying about buying more film or wondering if any one's eyes were shut. Also, it was going to be so much easier to share pictures online as we didn't have a scanner yet. It was the Kodak Easy Share Z703. It is the same camera that I am using right now. Hubby says that we are still paying it off as we put it on the credit card. As much as I love this camera, I would really love to get a Canon Rebel. They take such nice and clear pictures.When I expressed this desire to my SIL, she asked me if I was going to be a photographer now. It took everything in my system to not laugh my butt off while rolling on the floor grabbing my sides in pain. Had she not seen my snapshots? That ...
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All it takes is a smile.
2007-12-19 18:59:00
It is old and cliche, but I find it to be very true. It only takes a smile or a kind word to make someones day. At least that is all it takes to make my day. It is amazing how much my mood can be changed by the attitude of my cashier at the grocery store, the teller at the bank, or a random passer by at Old Navy. It really doesn't take much.I try to remember this when I go about my day. I won't lie, it doesn't always happen. There are times when I get frustrated because a mother is on her cell phone ignoring her children who are playing in the only bathroom that is adult sized at the children museum. True story. I sure as hell am not going to smile at her, let alone say anything nice. I did however huff and say "I suppose I will find another restroom", stuck out my little belly and waddled just a bit to the next bathroom which was downstairs. Other than the occasional asshat, I try to remember that people might be having the same kind of day that I had and may need some kind word...
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Manic Monday ~ Carol
2007-12-17 17:21:00
I believe that Mo's Manic Monday is becoming my favorite meme. It feels good to stretch my brain a little on Monday mornings. Even if it is only a poop story, I like it. This weeks word is carol.With me being the biggest Christmas freak I know, the first thing I thought of was Christmas Carol s and carolers. I have never seen a real caroler before. I have seen the brownie scouts sing at the senior home and the Christmas concerts at the mall. In fact I did many of those as a child. I have seen tons of movies and commercials with Christmas Carolers all bundled up in their snow gear with bright cheery smiles and red cheeks. Where are these people? Did they ever exist? What happened to them and the idea of caroling?Are people just too afraid to be out at night in the cold? Are people too selfish to go door to door singing to bring joy to others? Do people get irritated by carolers and so they have diminished to nothing? What happened?I would love to see real carolers, and if this darn c...
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Santa Clause Came to Town!
2007-12-16 06:32:00
Today we took the girls to the Children's Museum for "Snacks with Santa ". Outside they had a live reindeer that the kids could pet. Then we went inside and played with all the stuff that we usually do. After about an hour or so we decided that we would brave the visit with the jolly old man in the red suit. We expected full out tantrums from Little Bear . This Santa was the best Santa I have ever seen in my short 27 years of life. Granted, the first few I had no idea who Santa was and the next few years I thought they were all the same guy, but none the less, best Santa ever. He had a real beard and a genuine friendly smile. He was so calm that Little Bear sat right on his knee for about 5 pictures! And my camera is slow. She also sat their while miss Turtle rattled off her list of high priced items she wanted to find under the tree and asked Santa for some trains. I was so happy! The pictures came out how Little Bear always takes pictures. That stare. Silly baby. But no crying shot...
More About: Christmas , Town , Santa Clause

Christmas Spirit
2007-12-14 19:01:00
What is Christmas spirit? Some say that it is in your faith and religious beliefs. Some say that it is the spirit of joyful giving and being nice to everyone. Some say that it is the joy of being surrounded by family and friends. Some even say that it is a bunch of selfish people mowing each other down to get a cheap big screen TV.I suppose that it can be some or all of these things, but the Christmas spirit means something different to me. I always march to the beat of my own drum so why not at Christmas time as well?Christmas Spirit to me is wrapping my gifts with wrinkly wrapping paper because Little Bear is helping. It is letting Miss Turtle wrap gifts herself in her own "unique" way. Christmas Spirit is teaching the words of Rudolph the red nose reindeer to my toddler while my 9 year old is singing Randolph the one legged cowboy.Christmas Spirit is seeing the joy on my kids faces when we light up the tree. Reminiscing over every ornament and letting Miss Turtle make the tough d...

Every Time a Bell Rings...
2007-12-13 21:16:00
We have all seen the bell ringers for the Salvation Army standing outside various stores collecting donations. They usually have one a Santa hat and are ringing a bell. Everyone knows the sound of this bell and what means. To adults, it is a plea for us to drop in our extra change to help out a great cause. For children, it is the sound of a really cool toy that they will be allowed to ring if their parents drop in their extra change to help support a great cause.This is they way it has always been, and I thought this is the way it always would be. Yesterday I was shown otherwise. I waited to post this on my blog so that I could calm down and maybe see that I was just being hormonal. I am starting to think that I wasn't. Every time we hear that bell ring I dig through my purse and wallet to pull out some spare change so that Little Bear can put in her money and ring the bell. She has done this at every Wal-Mart visit, every King Soopers visit, and every other time we heard a bell r...
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Maternity Underwear
2007-12-13 21:07:00
I want to talk for a moment about my underwear. I figure that with some of other topics of choice over the last few years (for example, poop) that my readers would be okay with some good old undie talk.Maternity underwear are not like the big huge granny panties that could also be used for a sail in a pinch. They now have cute patterns and a lot less fabric. I found some maternity bikini undies at Old Navy yesterday while I was shopping for other maternity items. ( I am in LOVE with the maternity jeans there) They were on sale, and momma loves her a sale, so I picked them up. I washed them and tried them on and holy hell are they wonderful. They fit right under my belly so I am not yanking them up or dealing with 8 yards of fabric around my waist. It is heaven. Oh, and an added bonus, NO WEDGIES!! Whoo hoo!!I am not sure why I am so excited to share about my underwear, but I was pretty excited about them and my other fellow pregnant bloggers might appreciate knowing where to find so...
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Delightful Deliveries
2007-12-13 20:59:00
Every year my mom sends out a gift basket to my Grandfather in Arkansas. She used to order a gift basket with sausage and cheese but has been disappointed with the service and quality of the gift baskets for a few years. So this year I have mentioned the wonderful Gift Baskets at Delightful Deliveries. There are so many gift baskets to choose from and I am sure my mom will find something more interesting than just the same old cheese and sausage baskets. Not that she doesn't love gift baskets full of sausage and cheese, but she has sent one every year and we have just learned that my grandfather is now a vegetarian. Here is the recent Press Release about Delightful Deliveries:DelightfulDeliveries.com Recognized as Hot 100 Retail Website Internet Retailer Ranks Website Among Best in Nation for 2008 NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DelightfulDeliveries.com, the premiere Internet Gift Retailer and America?s #1 Gift Basket Website, today announced it has been named one of The Hot 100 Retail ...
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Hi Ho Silver Away!
2007-12-12 18:54:00
Can you tell that Daddy dressed her?http://www.text-link-ads.com/xml_blog ger.php?inventory_key=7FK6WL5FBEDW4QBQPZ4 C&feed=1
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Manic Monday ~ Ornament
2007-12-10 15:19:00
It's another Manic Monday and this week Mo has given us a word that fits perfectly into something I have been wanting to post about, and just haven't done it yet.Every year around Christmas time we have a lot of family traditions. One of my favorite family traditions is the special ornament. As a family we go to the ornament section and all pick out one special ornament to hang on the tree this year. It is a well loved tradition.This year, we have not yet made it to the store to do this. Things have come up and with destructive Little Bear, Hubby has not been too excited to put more fragile pieces on our Christmas Tree. Here is the special ornament that Hubby picked out last year.Little Bear has taken it off the tree and attempted to put it back on the tree a couple hundred times resulting in two broken arms and a broken foot for this poor frog prince. Hopefully we will be able to go and pick out our 2007 special ornaments sometime this week. It really is cool to pull out the orna...
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Long
2007-12-08 21:15:00
Little Bear trying to figure out the long Slip N Slide this summer at a playdate.Photo Hunthttp://www.text-link-ads.com/xml_blog ger.php?inventory_key=7FK6WL5FBEDW4QBQPZ4 C&feed=1
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