tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18445130596156669632024-03-13T22:00:10.066-04:00The Kinnaird FamilyTrip, Tiffany, Harding and Shelby FrancesTriphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18222936677203744832noreply@blogger.comBlogger302125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-79711781812018754222015-06-08T16:30:00.000-04:002015-06-08T16:30:00.990-04:00Flashback to Easter SundayWe came back from our spring break Edisto camping trip on Saturday and then got to enjoy Easter at home on Sunday. Matt and Ashlee came to church with us and then we had a big lunch at John and Barbara's house. I managed to get some pictures (although not necessarily decent ones) of all the kids in their Sunday best--the struggle is real when it comes to posed pictures and my children.<br />
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<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-38500700646123820382015-06-07T19:50:00.001-04:002015-06-11T09:15:43.776-04:00Shelby's bowling field tripI have a tough time keeping up with the general hustle and bustle of our everyday life on this blog and when I looked at the photo card on my camera, I realized there were some key moments I missed documenting during the past couple months. I'm going to try and catch up over the next couple days.<br />
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I took a day off of work at the beginning of May to help chaperon Shelby's class field trip and to spend some quality time with my girl. When you are a full-time working mom, days like this are a really big deal.<br />
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This is Shelby's sweet friend and classmate, who insisted on sitting beside her on the bus. I think the bus ride may have been Shelby's favorite part of the field trip. </div>
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It took Shelby a long time to warm up to bowling--the bowling alley experience is a bit of a sensory overload. But by the end of her first game, she started to enjoy it and had trouble waiting for her turn. Here is Shelby bowling with help from her sweet teacher, Ms. Milor:</div>
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After bowling, we had lunch at the park and Trip was able to join us. </div>
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I am continually impressed by the amazing people that work with Shelby and her classmates at school. What a phenomenal team of teachers and therapists--I am so glad that Shelby is at this school and it was a joy to hang out with them for a day. </div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-34531484285314699272015-06-07T18:53:00.000-04:002015-06-08T10:38:40.703-04:00Elkmont Firefly Camping Weekend<div>
This was our second time traveling to the Elkmont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park to see the synchronous fireflies. This year, we went with four other families who are dear friends of ours and it was a blast. The synchronous fireflies did not disappoint. I found this video on YouTube in case you are wondering what these fireflies are all about;</div>
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Shelby's birthday was Friday and she loves camping, so we told her that this was her birthday party. My parents gave her an ENO hammock for her birthday and she spent a great deal of the weekend in her "birfday hammock" swinging and relaxing and napping by the river. </div>
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Our campsites were riverside which was heaven for both children and adults. I loved the communal feel of this weekend. People spilled from one campsite to another and parents fed and took care of each other's children. </div>
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The kids had an amazing tolerance for icy cold water and were in the river exploring and tubing from 8 a.m. till 8 p.m.--stopping every now and then to eat. My favorite part of the weekend was sitting by the river relaxing and laughing with friends while watching the kids float past on their tubes. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Many thanks to my friend Jessica for providing photographic evidence of my presence at this glorious weekend of fun: </span></div>
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Sweet Landen was the littlest kid at the campsite and he did his best to keep up with all the big kids. </div>
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Group photos can be challenging--enter the selfie stick that the Grahams brought. Here is the selfie stick in action:</div>
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I think it is very safe to say that a good time was had by all! What a wonderful start to our summer--1 week till summer break! </div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-90837354874691733482015-04-16T16:32:00.000-04:002015-04-17T08:15:44.232-04:00Who is Andy?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shelby has an invisible friend named Andy........we think he lives inside John's banjo.<br />
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When we were living with John and Barbara last summer, Shelby's favorite place in their house was on the glider on their porch. The motion of swinging, rocking, or gliding is really calming for her. John spends a lot of time on the porch playing his banjo, so this porch banjo gliding time became something that Shelby and John did together.<br />
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Now that we live in our own house further up the mountain, Shelby still loves to hang with her Bop while he plays the banjo. At some point, she started requesting to hear the banjo when visiting John and Barb. And then at some point they noticed that Shelby would say "Want to talk to Andy" when the banjo was nearby. She leans into the banjo head and will whisper "Annndyyyy.....hey Andy". I'm not sure what is up with this. Shelby has a wicked sense of humor and loves to entertain others, so it really could be a big joke. However, she doesn't really giggle when the banjo is around, so who knows.<br />
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Bottom line: I love it that Shelby and John share banjo time together. John plays for Shelby while she listens, he very patiently lets her strum it while he plays, and he even stops playing so she can converse with Andy.....Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-27376719949898426442015-04-15T20:14:00.001-04:002015-04-15T20:14:30.829-04:00Spring Break Edisto CampingI love Edisto Island and the many childhood memories I have there--I spent two weeks there each summer with my dad's side of the family during my formative years. For spring break, our family experienced Edisto in a completely different, but equally great way. Growing up, I never even tapped the surface of what Edisto had to offer because I was too busy playing in the ocean. The state park is great--tons of handicap accessible biking and hiking trails through the forest, across the marshes, and to the ocean. Spanish Moss dangles from the branches of Live Oaks which provide shade and privacy for the camping spots on the marsh at the Live Oak Campground. I lucked out in getting a four-night camping reservation for Spring Break and the trip was wonderful---the temperature was perfect, the biking was great, we had a little bit of beach time, and it was fun being with my parents and using their "new" Shasta trailer. Now Trip and I really want a pop-up camper so we can do more trips like this.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No trip to Edisto is complete without some cousin time. Edson lives in Charleston and came to hang out with us on his day off. Here he is helping H fly a kite. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Did I mention that Harding took this dragon kite over from another kid on the beach? Oops....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speaking of cousins--Harding and Shelby got some cousin time in too because Riley came with us. She collected tons of oyster shells, but she also found her first fossilized shark's tooth by herself and an intact conch shell (which she and Harding reluctantly returned to the ocean). </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fbD_8P9yH_4/VS771KgviFI/AAAAAAAACWw/I3MAIS7JTJo/s1600/drip%2Bcastle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fbD_8P9yH_4/VS771KgviFI/AAAAAAAACWw/I3MAIS7JTJo/s1600/drip%2Bcastle.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drip castle fun. The water was COLD but that did not stop the kiddos. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hC_3EUxukqk/VS771UM0iAI/AAAAAAAACW0/ff8W6j8Hco8/s1600/hbike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hC_3EUxukqk/VS771UM0iAI/AAAAAAAACW0/ff8W6j8Hco8/s1600/hbike.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many bike trails we explored.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5edyFiBVFSQ/VS77xl6my2I/AAAAAAAACWo/-xGEhSSBttk/s1600/mommyhbike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5edyFiBVFSQ/VS77xl6my2I/AAAAAAAACWo/-xGEhSSBttk/s1600/mommyhbike.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy Son bike trip to the water. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpbrBj0oHEg/VS7-PdiqdBI/AAAAAAAACXk/hkdTpN2KJ6Y/s1600/clarkson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpbrBj0oHEg/VS7-PdiqdBI/AAAAAAAACXk/hkdTpN2KJ6Y/s1600/clarkson.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our friend Graham brought baby Clarkson over to Edisto to visit us on Good Friday when daycare was closed. What a treat to get to snuggle this sweet angel!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_1J_BHtga2Y/VS77_NlIH-I/AAAAAAAACXI/peapUrUNOkU/s1600/easterbunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_1J_BHtga2Y/VS77_NlIH-I/AAAAAAAACXI/peapUrUNOkU/s1600/easterbunny.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were full of visitors--the Easter Bunny came early and brought the kids treats on paper plates. Classy, huh? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5aDAzppsdKE/VS78BTih0gI/AAAAAAAACXQ/8v9OoNYRhc0/s1600/shasta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5aDAzppsdKE/VS78BTih0gI/AAAAAAAACXQ/8v9OoNYRhc0/s1600/shasta.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camper Cuteness</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2XY7aVYFi4/VS78DNET0BI/AAAAAAAACXY/JIt0wOHodkk/s1600/sunriseedisto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2XY7aVYFi4/VS78DNET0BI/AAAAAAAACXY/JIt0wOHodkk/s1600/sunriseedisto.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I woke up early one morning and went to see the sunrise by myself. The sun really puts on a show in the morning at Edisto. </td></tr>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-32162286464337480082015-03-25T17:12:00.000-04:002015-03-25T17:12:00.425-04:00How to survive winter on top of a mountain 1011. Capitalize on any day that is sunny and 60 + degrees (we had one glorious weekend like that at the beginning of February).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GktK1ty8Ko4/VRGyBDQmzBI/AAAAAAAACTg/TrYynrFM2UI/s1600/biking1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GktK1ty8Ko4/VRGyBDQmzBI/AAAAAAAACTg/TrYynrFM2UI/s1600/biking1.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trip is pulling Shelby in the bike trailer that the Gillilands have generously handed down to us. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUiNja7t99g/VRGyDEmAY_I/AAAAAAAACTo/uSBLC4J-exs/s1600/biking2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUiNja7t99g/VRGyDEmAY_I/AAAAAAAACTo/uSBLC4J-exs/s1600/biking2.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harding hamming it up for the camera. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eC4lCWw_yHc/VRGyEJcQiTI/AAAAAAAACTw/bsjiP2ATvYY/s1600/biking3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eC4lCWw_yHc/VRGyEJcQiTI/AAAAAAAACTw/bsjiP2ATvYY/s1600/biking3.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Fort, NC</td></tr>
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2. Stock up on the essentials for lots of time indoors: fuzzy slippers, firewood, books, beer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hal8rNT9CXs/VRGy_pZJe8I/AAAAAAAACT4/hcG3tluLH4I/s1600/fuzzyslippers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hal8rNT9CXs/VRGy_pZJe8I/AAAAAAAACT4/hcG3tluLH4I/s1600/fuzzyslippers.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelby loves her bunny slippers Nana!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-T-4epkqYg/VRGzBsRUXDI/AAAAAAAACUA/JQpw0SfXhh0/s1600/hardingreading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-T-4epkqYg/VRGzBsRUXDI/AAAAAAAACUA/JQpw0SfXhh0/s1600/hardingreading.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new chair has turned into Harding's favorite reading spot.</td></tr>
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3. Remember that cousins make great playmates. Thank goodness for our next-door neighbors!<br />
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4. Do what you gotta do to get down the driveway and get to work, school, etc....</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SaKgtLJRz9M/VRKnFVnDHxI/AAAAAAAACUg/MjcWBtaLbx0/s1600/polaris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SaKgtLJRz9M/VRKnFVnDHxI/AAAAAAAACUg/MjcWBtaLbx0/s1600/polaris.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Polaris is great for transporting down to the bottom of the driveway, where we leave our vehicles during snow/ice storms. But, its a cold ride to the bottom. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y6EBzf-yQjg/VRKnHIvAv-I/AAAAAAAACUo/A9abdHezitA/s1600/chains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y6EBzf-yQjg/VRKnHIvAv-I/AAAAAAAACUo/A9abdHezitA/s1600/chains.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chains!! These made a huge difference.<br /></td></tr>
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5. Enjoy the long-range winter views....as soon as the trees leaf out again, we won't be able to see the mountains surrounding our house. <div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-choNbvoHJTA/VRKquhwdGtI/AAAAAAAACU0/dIokzadI2gg/s1600/shelbytrike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-choNbvoHJTA/VRKquhwdGtI/AAAAAAAACU0/dIokzadI2gg/s1600/shelbytrike.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />We did it--we survived our first winter on Kinnaird mountain! </div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-4143099781228930602015-03-24T16:30:00.000-04:002015-03-24T16:30:00.923-04:00Our Soaring Eagle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shelby's school has a program a few times a year called the Soaring Eagle ceremony. It is a really big deal. The teachers and teacher assistants pick one child from each class to recognize because of their academic growth or character. We were invited to attend the ceremony last Friday because Shelby was among the recipients. All the students and teachers come to the auditorium for the ceremony and each teacher reads a speech about their class's soaring eagle. Shelby's teacher wrote a beautiful speech that really captured the essence of our girl:<br />
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<i>Our class's choice for Soaring Eagle stood out quite clearly. She not only exemplifies the 3 R's (Respectful, Resourceful, and Responsible) but has shown us all what the 4th R is...<b>Relational. </b>Relationships are intertwined with being Respectful, Resourceful, and Responsible and Shelby shows us this on a daily basis. She meets you once and remembers your name. She remembers specific things about each individual, and reminds us how important it is to really know and love people. Shelby is brave, facing her fears and courageously persevering in even the hard things. She is one of the most independent little girls I've met, with a sense of humor and whit that is sure to brighten anyone's day. We are so proud of <b>Shelby Kinnaird</b> for being our Soaring Eagle. Congratultions, Shelby!! We love you! </i><br />
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There were many teary eyes as Shelby came across that stage to get her award and it was wonderful hearing everyone clap for her. Her teacher assistant told us later that she kept saying, "Yay, Shelby Kinnaird" when she got back to the classroom. This ceremony confirmed for us what we already knew--Shelby is finding her place at school and the people there love her and really get her!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-55299224954407028712015-02-03T15:22:00.001-05:002015-02-03T20:16:16.802-05:00The Liam Neeson Cool Factor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: left;">People that know Harding well know that he is notorious for never having his shoes tied. He knows how to tie them, but it takes forever and they never seem to stay tied (even if I tie them for him). I was a few minutes early to pick up H from climbing club at his school the other day and got to watch him in action. After several rounds of climbing routes with his shoes untied (as usual), I witnessed the following interaction between Harding and one of the belayers when he got to her section: </span></div>
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<span style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #191919; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Belayer:</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #191919; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; text-align: start;"> “On Belay.”</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Harding:</b></span><span style="font-weight: 700;"> </span>“Ready to Climb.”<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Belayer:</b></span><span style="font-weight: 700;"> </span>“Climb on.”<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Harding:</b></span><span style="font-weight: 700;"> </span>“Climbing.”<br />
<b>Belayer:</b> "Wait, your shoe is untied!"<br />
<b>Harding:</b> (Blank stare)<br />
<b>Ms. Jo, the P.E. Teacher</b>: (says to me) "She obviously does not know Harding very well."</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OXa0h1ZpptQ/VNEsl9EXMvI/AAAAAAAACSg/hIROR877l2A/s1600/HardingShoeTie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OXa0h1ZpptQ/VNEsl9EXMvI/AAAAAAAACSg/hIROR877l2A/s1600/HardingShoeTie.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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So, is Harding "Liam Neeson cool?" You be the judge......</div>
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Post note: I have since ordered my eight-year-old a pair of shoes with Velcro straps (sigh). </div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-29456793512825489782015-01-30T14:09:00.000-05:002015-01-30T14:09:05.488-05:00Growing up: Inches and Miles at a TimeIn so many ways, Shelby is developmentally still our little girl, but I've been noticing how she seems to have grown a lot over the last couple months. My long legged baby girl is looking like a big girl!<br />
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And to cinch the deal, she lost her first baby tooth earlier this week.....<br />
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She didn't quite get what the rest of us were excited about--but she enjoyed all of us making a big deal out of the occasion, and of course, the tooth fairy came through and brought Shelby a dollar bill!<br />
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And as if to prove that she's not just growing physically, Shelby started carrying her back pack by herself. Previously, she hasn't been able to handle balancing and walking and carrying it all at once, but she's got it now.<br />
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-17065088637801314512015-01-25T21:15:00.000-05:002015-01-25T21:20:59.242-05:002014: What a Year!<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">2014 was a whirlwind of a year for our family! So much has happened and I have been too overwhelmed and in awe of it all to even attempt to document it on this blog.... </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Major milestones included: </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">1. Selling and moving out of our home of nine plus years.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">2. Bunking at Trip's parents' house on the mountain for 6 months while our new house was under construction (God bless them for putting up with us).</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">3. Shelby started kindergarten. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">4. </span><span style="text-align: start;">Harding switched to a local charter school. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">5. </span><span style="text-align: start;">I changed jobs and am now happily employed as a school counselor.</span></div>
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6. We moved into our dream house on the mountaintop. </div>
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7. We celebrated my beautiful grandmother Penny's 90th birthday at the beach with my dad's side of the family this Thanksgiving. </div>
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8. After 4 1/2 years of graduate school, I finally finished! I graduated from Western Carolina University with my Masters in School Counseling in December.</div>
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We have had so many transitions since last April. All of them were worthwhile, but also incredibly stressful for everyone. Honestly, I'm still recovering from it all! So, what's next? Hopefully no huge transitions! In 2015, we're going to concentrate on having more quality time: loving. laughing, enjoying, reading, conversing, camping, splashing, creating, and sunset appreciating. And maybe I'll even document some of it on this little ol' blog. Cheers to a new year! </div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-20570728400863951052014-07-18T14:58:00.002-04:002014-07-18T14:58:46.412-04:00Shunt mysteryShelby's yearly check-up with the neurosurgeon at Duke Children's was yesterday. The best part about this visit was spending the night with my cousin Katy and her husband Pat in Durham the night before--Pat makes the best mojitos!<br />
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Anyway, Shelby's appointments started with a rapid MRI scan. Shelby has developed major doctor office/procedure anxiety since her surgery last summer (understandably) and she started screaming as soon as we walked in the door. One nurse had to lay on top of her and hold her down and still for the duration of the 5 minute scan. She screamed the whole time and the poor nurse had pinch marks on her arm from Shelby. I'm not sure who was more traumatized, Shelby or the nurse (or me)...<br />
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We left the MRI office and headed to the neurosurgery clinic to meet Shelby's new neurosurgeon and to get the results of her scan. I'll do my best to explain what Dr. Muh told us. Shelby's ventricles are more swollen than her post-surgery baseline scans last July. Dr. Muh says that this could mean one of two things. Either Shelby's ventricles shrank way down after her surgery last June and then continued to change and get to a new baseline after we did the follow-up MRI in July of 2013 or Shelby's shunt is failing. We've noticed now symptoms of a shunt failure, but there were no symptoms last summer either. We go back for another scan on August 15th to determine if she needs another shunt revision. If the shunt is failing, the MRI will show more swelling of the ventricles. Bleh! Such is life with a shunt, I guess....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Screaming and thrashing around and fighting nurses through an MRI is hard work. Shelby slept for an hour while we waited to meet with Dr. Muh. </td></tr>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-46787803310782289062014-07-12T17:52:00.000-04:002014-07-12T17:52:09.509-04:00Well Hello There....We're Still Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It has been a long while since my last blog post. There have been peaks and valleys since then, and so much has happened. I've felt guilty about not documenting our life here on this little blog. My phone data was completely full of pictures, so I just transferred them to my computer. All these pictures confirm what I already know--I've missed a ton of blogging opportunities these past three months. I'll start with one of the most recent, our vacation to Lake Keowee. </div>
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As a lot of you know, we are currently living halfway up the family mountain with John and Barbara while our house is being constructed at the top of the mountain. There is a ton of work to do on our land and Trip's days are consumed with work, then working on the land/house/driveway/home-site when he gets home and on the weekends. I help out when I can get childcare, but our very active 5-year-old daughter requires a lot of supervision, so my summer days have been pretty consumed with that. Needless to say, a week-long break from all the work was much needed (thanks so much John and Barbara)! </div>
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H and Landen enjoying a boatride</div>
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Shelby could spend forever happily floating and splashing in the lake! </div>
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I rented a SUP board and Harding enjoyed it just as much as the paddlers did. </div>
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My sweet kiddos relaxing on the boat. </div>
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One of the perks of spending a week together was hanging out with 4-month-old Avery. I could eat her up! </div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-56131927297944952912014-03-17T22:05:00.001-04:002014-03-17T22:05:38.084-04:00Saying goodbye to our home: Shelby's RoomMy favorite room in our house is Shelby's bedroom and I've been meaning to post about it for awhile. When we were staging our home, the Realtor told us to, "leave that room exactly as it is". It is really cute (my photos will not do it justice). But the reason I am so attached to Shelby's room has more to do with how I feel when I am in there with her and the amount of love that went into the items housed in there (both before and after Shelby was born). It is hard for me to put all this into words, but I want to remember her room, so I'm putting the pictures and sentimental descriptions here where they won't get lost or forgotten.<br />
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When Trip and I went to Lowe's to pick out the paint for this room (right after we found out we were having a baby girl), Trip told the person in the paint department that he wanted the "girly-est" green paint color they had for his daughter's nursery. My dad painted it for us (he painted Harding's nursery too).<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">My mom picked up the metal flowers hung at the entrance to Shelby's room at one of my favorite Asheville stores, The Screen Door. Check it out at </span><a href="http://www.screendoorasheville.com/" style="text-align: left;">www.screendoorasheville.com</a><span style="text-align: left;">.</span></div>
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I picked out the airy, white curtains with wispy flowers all over them and they became the basis for room decor: flowers and butterflies. We started with Harding's old crib in here (bought second-hand from a family friend) that had white sheets with butterflies and flowers. </div>
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It's hard to see, but my dad made the little doll bed beside Shelby's bed and gave it to her this Christmas. </div>
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My father-in-law John made this dollhouse bookcase for Shelby and gave it to us the week before she was born. I absolutely love it. </div>
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Trip's Grandpa Kinnaird mailed Shelby the Vermont Teddy Bear on the bookcase after she was born. Trip's grandmother Helen had bought Harding a Vermont Teddy Bear when he was a baby. Helen died before Shelby was born, but it meant a lot to me that John, Sr. carried on the tradition. </div>
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My mom made the quilt on Shelby's toddler bed. The colors are perfect. Luckily this is a full size quilt, so when Shelby gets a "bigger girl bed" at the new house, this cheerful quilt will fit. </div>
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Shelby's "lovie" is draped on the rail of her toddler bed and I ordered it when I was pregnant. It is so soft and it is one of several items that Shelby wants for comfort when she is upset or at bedtime. </div>
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My friend Julie gave her "Crinkle Baby" this past Christmas and it is now her favorite baby. Crinkle baby has to be with Shelby every bedtime now. The baby on the right is named "Baby" and I bought it for Shelby on her first birthday. She used to be Shelby's favorite, but Crinkle is the winner of her affections these days. </div>
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The strange looking silver bear on the glider is "Nightmare Bear". My father-in-law, John sewed Nightmare Bear himself out of silver fabric that my mom bought. Silver shiny colors were one of the first colors that we realized Shelby could see after we found out that she had a cortical visual impairment. It was so sweet of John to make this bear, but he did come out a little scary looking with the black stitching (hence the name). We have had a good time making fun of poor Nightmare Bear, but it is so sweet. My parents and Trip's parents poured so much love into helping and supporting us and Shelby after her many diagnoses and Nightmare Bear is a perfect representation of that love. </div>
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On Shelby's side table beside the glider is a picture that my mom took of our little family of four when Harding met Shelby for the first time. She brought this framed picture to us when Shelby was transferred to the NICU to decorate and personalize her little crib area and it brought me a lot of comfort at the time.</div>
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And speaking of that glider--it is old, dirty, broken and wobbly with a missing arm, AND I love it. This is where I nursed both of my babies at night. This is where countless prayers have been whispered over my sleeping children. This is one of the only places that I felt like everything was going to be okay during Shelby's first year when we faced a lot of scary stuff. This is where we STILL rock Shelby every single night before laying her down. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">At the foot of Shelby's bed is her "Julie Blanket" that Julie made for her on her first birthday. So much thought went into this blanket. It is soft and nubby on one side and bright and colorful on the other. There is fringe on the edge that Shelby loves to touch. She does not go to sleep without her blanket covering her up and this is the first thing she asks for if she's upset.</span></div>
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Hanging above the bookshelf is this picture that my friend Melanie ordered for Shelby. An artist in Savannah, Georgia paints these and it makes me smile every time I look at it. </div>
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My grandmother Penny wrote a happy poem for Shelby on her 3rd birthday and it is framed and on her dresser. </div>
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My grandmother Burney bought Shelby the little toothfairy doll hanging from her dresser. She found these dolls on sale at the shop at her retirement home and bought them for each of her great-grandbabies. This was probably one of the last gifts she picked out for the kids on her own. </div>
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So many memories are in this room. Luckily, all of the above items will be traveling with us to the new house, but it does feel like the end of an era to be leaving this sweet room that I love so much (and that Shelby has always slept so well in). </div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-72260565715200543752014-03-02T16:04:00.003-05:002014-03-02T18:39:08.317-05:00Friday pictures and house news<div>
Before I talk about the house stuff, here are some pictures of Harding and Shelby from our weekly Mexican dinner out on Friday night. Shelby had the giggles and they were contagious for the whole family:</div>
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Also, the big news is that our house is under contract and we are scheduled to close on April 2nd. Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly... We'll be bunking with Trip's parents at their house on the land (it is a bit of a family compound) so that we can supervise the construction of our house, which should begin soon. This is so exciting and we've wanted it for a long time....but we've got a ton of things to do in the next month or so. Never a dull moment around here. </div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-22609292765870080272013-12-22T08:01:00.000-05:002013-12-22T08:01:22.465-05:00The Spectrum<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last summer when we were at Shelby's regular check-up with the neurologist, Dr. Poplawski suggested that we have Shelby evaluated by a developmental pediatrician for Autism. I thought this was ridiculous--Shelby did NOT have autism. The nerve of Dr. P! He spends about ten minutes with my daughter every 6 months, how dare he even bring this up! Dr. P told us that kids who have neurological issues are actually more likely to have Autism. I left the doctor's office angry--Shelby has plenty of behavior peculiarities, but I have always chalked them up to her cortical visual impairment, sensory issues, or the fact that her brain processes information differently because of the damage that was done to into when she had a humongous brain hemorrhage before she was born. Autism was never on my radar.<br />
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After much discussion, Trip and I made the developmental appointment. We figured that if nothing else, it was an opportunity to learn more about Shelby and to get some advice on potty training issues. Our appointment was the day before Thanksgiving. Dr. Sheppard's office was huge. One half of it was a play room and the other half of it contained a desk and chairs. I sat down across from Dr. Sheppard and Trip helped Shelby locate a familiar toy to play with before joining us. I quickly informed Dr. Sheppard that I did not want her to spend ten minutes with my daughter who is terrified of doctors (for good reason) and then diagnose her with Autism.<br />
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We were in Dr. Sheppard's office for two hours. Shelby played and we told the doctor about our daughter and answered multiple questions. At the end of the appointment, Dr. Sheppard was incredibly kind--and she told us that Shelby has Autism. She had been observing Shelby and interacting with her and taking in what we had said. She informed us that though some of Shelby's behaviors could be explained by her other disabilities, she still felt that Shelby was on the spectrum. She then gave us a ton of brochures about the many Autism resources in our community.<br />
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So where do we go from here? I've been around the block long enough to know that a diagnosis does not define my child and that Shelby is the same person today that she was before I found out she had Autism. I am also incredibly overwhelmed. I have a child with multiple disabilities--she sees a speech therapist, a physical therapist, a vision teacher, an exceptional-ed teacher and two occupational therapists every week. I do not spend enough time working with her as it is, and now we've got another diagnosis to consider. I feel like most of the things I read about Autism are not helpful for Shelby, in light of her other disabilities.<br />
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We have an appointment scheduled for next year with a doctor that specializes in Autism and I plan to bring this up with him. In the meantime, we're going to look at Shelby's IEP again and see if anything needs to be tweaked. We'll continue to do what we've always done--love her and do the best we can.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-12974379872782275762013-09-30T20:43:00.003-04:002013-09-30T20:43:21.231-04:00Weekend Fun and Monday Appointments1) We had two house showings this weekend....let's hope this trend continues (and that someone wants to buy it soon.....)<br />
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2) We told Harding we'd have some fun this weekend now that the house is finally listed.Our Friday night family fun consisted of Putt Putt with the Moss family. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took this photo when Harding got a hole in one. Good times. :)</td></tr>
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3) Landen spent the night with us for the first time Saturday night and it was surprisingly easy and really fun!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He wants to do everything Harding does....bubble beard and all. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landen seemed to have the best attention span of the family for bedtime stories. Shelby was bouncing and Harding was in vampire mode. </td></tr>
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4) We had a very busy Monday with three appointments after school/work today.</div>
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Harding has been seeing the orthodontist for a year now and Dr. Ryan has been "watching" the progression of his teeth and how they grow. The deal is that Harding has lots of teeth and not much space for them to come in. He's going to have four teeth pulled by the dentist next month and hopefully that will help the space situation. I have a feeling we will be getting to know Dr. Ryan real well ($$$)!</div>
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We left the orthodontist and headed to the allergist for Harding's biweekly shots, then went home for Shelby's first appointment with her new OT. This went surprisingly well! I am feeling good about Liz...she interacted well with Shelby and had some really good ideas. She seems so knowledgeable when it comes to sensory stuff. It is hard making a therapist change and we'll certainly miss Adam, but I am looking forward to working with Liz and seeing what happens.<br />
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-12332912515343391252013-09-29T19:48:00.000-04:002013-09-30T20:01:58.590-04:002013 Asheville Citizen-Times City Half MarathonI ran my fourth half marathon yesterday morning and it was great! I've been training with a group of women since July, and I was completely prepared for this race--despite having not run much during the week since school started. My long runs on Saturdays with these women have made up the majority of my self-care and social time this fall and it has been a wonderful outlet for me during a very stressful semester. This year, I was lucky to have my sister Chris and my neighbor Michelle join our training group and I loved having them there and getting the opportunity to bond with some other women during our long runs too. I'm thankful for my friend Julie who organized all our weekend training routes and got the group together in the first place, and I was bummed that some nasty shin splints kept her from running with us on race day. I finished 544th overall with a time of 2:05:03 and felt great throughout the entire 13 miles. I am still hoping to run a half marathon in under two hours at some point, but this year was more about enjoying myself as I trained and ran the race. Maybe the fifth time's the charm? We'll see next time!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom took this one of us after the race...by the way, Chris finished in 2:55!!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and I posing with Michelle and her sister Jenny before the race--at 5:40 in the morning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cute fan club: Harding and Isaac immediately took over our medals and told everyone that they won the race. </td></tr>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-23017902249826320682013-09-26T19:48:00.001-04:002013-09-27T05:51:38.139-04:00For Sale!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our house is officially listed, and what a job it has been to get it ready! It feels like we have done nothing lately but eat, sleep, work, and work on the house once we get home. We've renovated a bathroom, tiled the kitchen, painted, replaced carpet, majorly de-cluttered, and hauled multiple loads of stuff to Goodwill. We're looking forward to relaxing a little bit (in between keeping our home spotless and ready to show). Check out the pictures of our house on the MLS listing if you're interested....it looks pretty darn good. I'm trying to be patient with this process and am reminding myself that it will happen when it is supposed to. Meanwhile, we're about to start finalizing house plans with a builder. This is such an exciting time....cross your fingers for us! </div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-71825971753557751072013-09-15T15:06:00.000-04:002013-09-15T15:06:13.788-04:00Goodbye and Thanks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Shelby's beloved OT, Adam is moving. We had our last session with him on Friday and we're incredibly sad to see him go. But we're grateful for the time that he spent with us. Trip and I have been reminiscing about all the major milestones in Shelby's life that he has been there for (and helped her get to). Adam's stubbornness has matched Shelby's and he has been unwavering in his high expectations for her, while at the same time making therapy truly fun. Adam practically lived with us for three weeks of constraint induced therapy, working with Shelby as much as three times a day during that period. Adam was there when Shelby took her first steps--a moment that will forever be etched in my mind (the video is somewhere on this blog). He has touched our hearts and we wish him the very best. Here's hoping we cross paths again someday! Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-12877576495031232712013-09-01T07:12:00.000-04:002013-09-01T07:12:01.063-04:00Budding artist? Drawing is Harding's favorite activity these days, and he's getting pretty good at it. He will literally sit and draw quietly for hours. This is one of his most recent masterpieces:<br />
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<br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-26794422557141206082013-08-31T14:31:00.001-04:002013-08-31T14:34:44.462-04:00A visit from the WadesOur friends Graham and Blair came to town last weekend and we had the best visit! They love to do things outdoors, so after Blair and I went running together Saturday morning, we decided to do a float trip down the French Broad River while my parents watched the kids. The weather was just beautiful--for once no rain, and we enjoyed the scenery, a picnic lunch, and some cold beverages while we went down the river--a perfect outing!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-reEIqbsb1Ns/UiI0ZGfxibI/AAAAAAAACG8/YfJuG4jt_cU/s1600/bywaterriver.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-reEIqbsb1Ns/UiI0ZGfxibI/AAAAAAAACG8/YfJuG4jt_cU/s320/bywaterriver.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the river from our take-out point at the Bywater bar<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fn91Yt0Z6gw/UiI0Y6P5ETI/AAAAAAAACG0/EWVcuwvWHs0/s1600/boysonflotilla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fn91Yt0Z6gw/UiI0Y6P5ETI/AAAAAAAACG0/EWVcuwvWHs0/s320/boysonflotilla.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a life, being pulled down the river while the wives do all the paddling. :)</td></tr>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-63338256373081661622013-08-31T14:08:00.000-04:002013-08-31T14:17:58.593-04:00Back to School, IEP review, one day at a time...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We've successfully made it through the first couple weeks of school. It has been a tough transition for Trip and me, but the kids are doing great! It is hard to believe that Harding is in 1st grade. It is very different from Kindergarten, with much less free play time scheduled into the day and more homework as well. Harding was super excited that Carlitos (one of his favorite buddies from his class last year) was also in Mrs. Braxton's class. He's also happy that he gets to get hugs from his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. McClure every day during lunch time.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harding at "Meet the Teacher" with his teacher, Mrs. Braxton and her assistant, Ms. Lassiter (and a random girl in the background who I could not get to move out of the way)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here he is during drop-off on his first day of first grade. </td></tr>
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We were disappointed (okay maybe even devastated) to find out that one of Shelby's excellent teachers from last year, Ms. Kathy (who was also a certified teacher of the vision impaired) had been assigned to a different school this year because of budgeting and reorganization of the special education preschool program in our county. They replaced Ms. Kathy in the classroom with a Head Start teacher assistant. Trip and I immediately requested an IEP review meeting because even though there are 3 adults in the classroom, like last year, Shelby would no longer have a special ed teacher with VI certification with her on a daily basis. Shelby's vision impairment affects every part of her learning and development, so Trip and I were concerned and eager to adjust Shelby's IEP and clearly define how she would receive VI and Special Education services with this reorganization. The meeting was on Wednesday afternoon and was incredibly stressful for us. However, we argued our case and came up with a compromise that will be okay. We increased the required VI time on Shelby's IEP and we also increased her Special Education time. So now Shelby will have a vision teacher in the classroom to work with her and the teachers twice a week for about 30 minutes and she'll have a special education preschool teacher in the classroom with her twice a week for another 30 minutes. This is not as ideal a situation as she had last year, but I think it will work. The good news is that her other teacher from last year, Ms. Rebecca is still with her, as well as the teacher assistant from last year, Ms. Maria. Trip and I just really want Shelby to continue to make gains this school year so that she will be as prepared for kindergarten next year as possible. Advocating for services for your child is a tricky thing, but I think we handled it well and we're glad the IEP team was responsive to making changes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelby with Ms. Rebecca on the first day of school</td></tr>
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And I'm back to school now as well. This is an interesting school year for me. I have moved to 8th grade social studies and am learning a new curriculum. So far, this has been a very positive change, and the Political Science major in me is very excited to be teaching U.S. History. I'm also taking two classes for my school counseling graduate program. One of them is my practicum class, where I work in a school one day a week. I am so excited to have the opportunity to do this at Harding and Shelby's school! Even though I am busy all day there, I get to bring them to school on that day and it just feels good being in the same building with them. I'm also taking group counseling and will be leading a group of 5th graders in October for this class. Both these classes are experiential in nature and very intense. I've quit Facebook to help myself stay focused and am just taking it one day at a time. As always, I couldn't do it without my husband, who happens to be a rock star father. We're all very glad that I am getting closer finishing my master's degree!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-78461398760610446622013-08-18T15:06:00.002-04:002013-08-18T15:22:44.055-04:00Gwynn's IslandOh how I love this place.....we left D.C. and headed to my Aunt Dearing's house on the Chesapeake Bay. I feel like I began to relax as we crossed the bridge to the island. This is such a peaceful and beautiful spot.<br />
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We ate dinner with Dearing on our first night and then immediately headed out to the beach. Thinking we would just walk along the shore, none of us took the time to change to our bathing suits. I should have known better....within minutes my water loving children were in the bay splashing around and playing in the sand--wearing nothing but their birthday suits and it was completely okay. That's how laid back things are at Gwynn's Island!<br />
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My parents, Stephen and Cambridge, my cousins Samuel and Kate and Kate's daughter Allie Grace (and assorted family dogs) all joined us later in the weekend for "Island Week". Watching my children play with Allie Grace of course reminded me of playing with my cousins when we would visit them at the Bay growing up.<br />
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The uniform at Gwynn's Island during the summer time is pajamas or bathing suits...I have no idea why I bothered to pack clothes for my kids. Here is a general schedule or how our days went: Wake up (watch gorgeous sunrise depending on the time), Eat a leisurely breakfast, Go for a walk, run, or bike ride if feeling motivated, Change to bathing suits, Play with assorted water toys (sea kayaks, bike boat, water floats), Eat lunch and put kids down for nap (and possibly take a nap yourself), Go back to the beach when kiddos wake up and play some more, Take an outdoor shower and change to pajamas, Eat a yummy dinner, Go out to the pier and fish while watching the gorgeous sunset, Go to sleep, Repeat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BeBe and Harding with Joey</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The croaker fish were biting and we caught enough to have a big fish fry one night and then fish tacos another. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harding "helping" Papa reel one in while DD laughs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what our beach setup looked like....something for everyone. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls splashing around. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to see what toys they are playing with but Shelby has a vintage "quint" baby and Harding and Allie Grace are playing with the horses that go into this stable.....endless entertainment here!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allie Grace chasing H with seaweed while Shelby bounces and splashes and laughs. (Check out AG's hair braid done by yours truly.)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had the best time with Harding on the seacycle.....Harding was taking me to the place where he and Aunt Cambridge saw the dolphins, but they had moved on by the time we got there. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking on the island....pine trees everywhere providing plenty of shade. Love this old time feeling place. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out to lunch at Southwind Pizza for Trip's 35th birthday.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fixing AG's hair was so much fun!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z0qixCiZ01E/UhEXc1V6Z3I/AAAAAAAACF0/u7hOmAsJS40/s1600/IMG_6011%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z0qixCiZ01E/UhEXc1V6Z3I/AAAAAAAACF0/u7hOmAsJS40/s400/IMG_6011%5B1%5D.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have been trying to capture this for over a year. It is something Shelby only does with me to make me laugh....she will suddenly jerk her head to the side with a big smile on her face when I'm rocking her or snuggling her before bed and then laugh hysterically....silly girl!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glorious Gwynn's Island Sunset</td></tr>
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We were at Gwynn's Island through Thursday and then I went back to work on Friday. This vacation was absolutely wonderful....it had everything we need to carry us through what is surely to be a hectic school year: Family, Saltwater, Relaxation, and Laughter. Gwynn's Island....see you next summer! Thanks so much for having us Dearing!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-69505698253312550632013-08-15T07:00:00.000-04:002013-08-15T07:00:03.537-04:00Washington D.C. (Day 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Trip's Uncle and Aunt live in Manassas, VA--not far outside DC, so we spent Thursday night with them. They fed us really well Thursday night and Friday morning and we enjoyed catching up with them before heading back into the city on Friday. We had a loose agenda for the day with plans to eat dinner with my cousin and her husband in the city that evening while the traffic died down. We arrived at the mall and immediately found a great parking space at the WWII memorial. It was HOT and crowded at the Lincoln Memorial, but the view from was great and Harding had been interested in Abraham Lincoln. We walked alongside the reflection pool to find a great picnic spot in the shade. After that, we checked out the WWII Memorial and then saw the Washington Monument and the White House (from afar). We had plans to go to the Natural History Museum in the afternoon, but the kids started having meltdowns and Trip and I realized at 2:00 that if we wanted to leave the city, it needed to be immediately in order to beat the Friday afternoon traffic. We decided to quit while we were ahead and hit the road before the good day turned bad. Both kids were exhausted and napped in the car as we headed out. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory Photo-op in front of the White House...they don't let you get as close as they used to. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harding and Me from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial...the reflection pool is behind us and Harding was disappointed that it wasn't a pool you can swim in. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey there, President Lincoln!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally a pool he was allowed to wade in....this is at the WWII Memorial<br /></td></tr>
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I loved going to DC with Harding and seeing all the sights with him....I'll be excited to bring him back when he's a bit older. Its nice that we have family in the area to help us make that possible. Next time we will not go in August and the kids will have the attention spans for even more sight seeing. All in all, it was a great couple days!Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1844513059615666963.post-69892301753492312442013-08-14T10:25:00.000-04:002013-08-14T10:26:17.524-04:00Touring DC (Day 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Trip and I were so excited to take Harding to DC(and Harding has been pumped about it all summer long). But we were realistic about planning this trip....we knew that it would be extremely hot in August--and crowded. And we knew that we couldn't plan too much with a four and six-year-old in tow. My sister and Grant were kind enough to lend us their BOB stroller, which made it much better for Shelby and everyone else. On day one, we sat in a ton of construction traffic on I-95, but finally made it to Arlington National Cemetery around lunch time. My children are usually troopers in the car and this trip has been no exception (thankfully). </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We tried to prepare Harding for all the walking he was going to do--it was still tough for him in the heat, but his whining was minimal. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo was taken in front of Arlington House...we loved this view of DC and the mall. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harding was completely mesmerized by the changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I was impressed at how he managed to stay quiet (of course it helped that a soldier with a gun had demanded silence before the ceremony began). </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The highlight of the trip for me was visiting my grandfather's grave at Arlington and showing it to Harding and Trip. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Kennedy's grave. Harding actually got "talked to" by a guard for not keeping his voice down here on this hallowed ground. </td></tr>
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We left Arlington around 2:30 and were really glad to get back into our air conditioned car. Our next stop was the Air and Space museum at Dulles. Harding LOVED this museum and literally bounced around talking a mile a minute the entire time we were in there. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this picture of my "little tourists" going into the Air and Space museum together. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harding was immediately blown away by this view as we walked in!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave Matthews lyrics running through anyone's head here? </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shuttle Discovery....SO COOL (and so big)!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption">Standing under the Space Shuttle Discovery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shelby--clearly unimpressed by space shuttles! This stroller REALLY helped. Thanks Moss family!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We chose not to talk with Harding about this part of American History....next time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was impressed by the Tomcat....loved the movie Top Gun. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trip couldn't stop singing "My Way To The Danger Zone" here. I made Harding take a picture of me with my Maverick. :)</td></tr>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17374588370225965951noreply@blogger.com0