tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61870395092835864092024-03-05T03:00:14.808-08:00The Dahle DailyOccasional snippets of daily life at the Dahle's.The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-74869625932646138762024-01-05T17:01:00.000-08:002024-01-05T18:46:01.134-08:00Happy New Year, friends and family!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeRQfNZJVNgreMdQw8-lv4ITlZng4O4vTWnyI_6HHd4UoK45gLzQBF-5bjJb29idgE2EdSuAIBt2njdzhSlK7c031bmOi74mPQzhuCviYV_VoQMwV8rDDidgav-fjcI0ak5kvlElGaByybewXTbz-1cFm98hVwT9bZHuMZnjfhPBUUIeUo1hNp4Zwui8/s4140/11%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2760" data-original-width="4140" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeRQfNZJVNgreMdQw8-lv4ITlZng4O4vTWnyI_6HHd4UoK45gLzQBF-5bjJb29idgE2EdSuAIBt2njdzhSlK7c031bmOi74mPQzhuCviYV_VoQMwV8rDDidgav-fjcI0ak5kvlElGaByybewXTbz-1cFm98hVwT9bZHuMZnjfhPBUUIeUo1hNp4Zwui8/s320/11%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />2023 sees us looking back over our shoulders at the end of a glorious era: having all of our children under one roof! <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7b1WIaxeiWIV61D3cZppD6rn9kf7yIYNXQ-FS2wcwPWV6qU2ME3FpmOJYw1GWfwT7FhihdnFp9_zdjuEvc-WiyoO3VU90yeeHbiq9wckfG_pj6TefdIsPar2NC547qIYPOReaDYo0ERWo3GsnfNnuRSzqgxeEiHO-8alqz4yIcsHDmNPN655BFrKlFnc/s4032/AC9D2922-61F6-44E1-8D30-562F00CDF76A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7b1WIaxeiWIV61D3cZppD6rn9kf7yIYNXQ-FS2wcwPWV6qU2ME3FpmOJYw1GWfwT7FhihdnFp9_zdjuEvc-WiyoO3VU90yeeHbiq9wckfG_pj6TefdIsPar2NC547qIYPOReaDYo0ERWo3GsnfNnuRSzqgxeEiHO-8alqz4yIcsHDmNPN655BFrKlFnc/s320/AC9D2922-61F6-44E1-8D30-562F00CDF76A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Xander graduated high school </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdyrNNH9rPn9YbOGl7yhRxRAh7qiLNxnmDRswJN-KspWT-hKPiR3gE2mVDsMEQi7QuRUGmrLqzh2KTQVeYTyQLBN9rOgAzH0VdhQ82-0OyZF2mFLDlK7BGVKZMdQ9AlswEFggEXmuOzjrOWs-_FYNcHBpCfjzZE9ZtqePK4D3bkEGsGCXkoGFUEF0fuc/s800/230B4502-482D-4CAD-94F1-B5691F966EB5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdyrNNH9rPn9YbOGl7yhRxRAh7qiLNxnmDRswJN-KspWT-hKPiR3gE2mVDsMEQi7QuRUGmrLqzh2KTQVeYTyQLBN9rOgAzH0VdhQ82-0OyZF2mFLDlK7BGVKZMdQ9AlswEFggEXmuOzjrOWs-_FYNcHBpCfjzZE9ZtqePK4D3bkEGsGCXkoGFUEF0fuc/s320/230B4502-482D-4CAD-94F1-B5691F966EB5.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>and worked on a commercial fishing boat, a riverboat, and a cruise ship before he flew off to serve the people of New Zealand as a missionary. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVIRx5EiAUsMkRz-T98B1qlLjltY4_XatBTI2UZ7fwbkopC9QaXPzFz569EEQ9Cd2hdeMuRx3adckR1S3f2I6gDXtSWsXYSmhwoetdHk_EKPGsKoQ1F9iRuqQjS54Cs8iIrjSu7_5miW7TwNV8972Qz4Sqpoy7FqKAxYiXHhlQfkw3xAHckH4OPGb1vI/s4032/0E190FF7-F6AC-4D97-B504-1AB049BE0407.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVIRx5EiAUsMkRz-T98B1qlLjltY4_XatBTI2UZ7fwbkopC9QaXPzFz569EEQ9Cd2hdeMuRx3adckR1S3f2I6gDXtSWsXYSmhwoetdHk_EKPGsKoQ1F9iRuqQjS54Cs8iIrjSu7_5miW7TwNV8972Qz4Sqpoy7FqKAxYiXHhlQfkw3xAHckH4OPGb1vI/s320/0E190FF7-F6AC-4D97-B504-1AB049BE0407.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Before he left, we maximized our Alaska family adventuring this summer lashed together on Root Glacier </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionrrjABTwIIEmsGjk6sX07Fk-BKJq0UIIfF4ZBihSZf7M-MFLxJCUutIzMhaPx306EUFe5Kdu5lFzukVwJFXXmA_PUij7fTbeQkXa3oqS9Csd1NwoJtHi-mclCbs2erf68diGdsHgM-rF2gHuRHEZZHJT4tzCEbNZBQCnv3SOh_KOFNrJ4n3F-CHFw_w/s4032/6DEA0D1F-E181-4639-94B6-C69510804302.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEionrrjABTwIIEmsGjk6sX07Fk-BKJq0UIIfF4ZBihSZf7M-MFLxJCUutIzMhaPx306EUFe5Kdu5lFzukVwJFXXmA_PUij7fTbeQkXa3oqS9Csd1NwoJtHi-mclCbs2erf68diGdsHgM-rF2gHuRHEZZHJT4tzCEbNZBQCnv3SOh_KOFNrJ4n3F-CHFw_w/s320/6DEA0D1F-E181-4639-94B6-C69510804302.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSe7thAxVojqnfk3Uz5SuGxqUPg78sStMtZqIdgtgx4S7ZgUsJfIJtdnLfyaBpZa2Jl1Azq8q5GbrSBkEfzhzCd8Oh3CkudJoWPSbrVQ2aiYtA6o-sUrY48_XqfaxF3XoNpRzIH_bnEUaVpV7TVlZTdhMuVX1oOR2bo65d6EDY-3JVKXC1RAz4uZgG_hs/s4032/631D14E6-68F5-49C7-BC3E-F63B3AC9A749.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSe7thAxVojqnfk3Uz5SuGxqUPg78sStMtZqIdgtgx4S7ZgUsJfIJtdnLfyaBpZa2Jl1Azq8q5GbrSBkEfzhzCd8Oh3CkudJoWPSbrVQ2aiYtA6o-sUrY48_XqfaxF3XoNpRzIH_bnEUaVpV7TVlZTdhMuVX1oOR2bo65d6EDY-3JVKXC1RAz4uZgG_hs/s320/631D14E6-68F5-49C7-BC3E-F63B3AC9A749.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>and smashed together through Atigun pass. Evelyn started kindergarten and Monette started substitute teaching. A momentous year!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXWAkZxGhIIcbTkefkUXgvHVyDGCmyKLsph2CUQ9vI8WNZmNCuFbDyYwKVISNXlpjXCZXpG8gnYoz1VKja6uGl6wcKmNKHuboh19uidSSJJ1-XBkIeF1IipcUKDa5mXsAixKZU-hAIaXSpoTkucb6MroDY55vsZ_-LAlpDYCnj1DN1kFgyrtQ_8jSrb8/s6016/6%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4016" data-original-width="6016" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXWAkZxGhIIcbTkefkUXgvHVyDGCmyKLsph2CUQ9vI8WNZmNCuFbDyYwKVISNXlpjXCZXpG8gnYoz1VKja6uGl6wcKmNKHuboh19uidSSJJ1-XBkIeF1IipcUKDa5mXsAixKZU-hAIaXSpoTkucb6MroDY55vsZ_-LAlpDYCnj1DN1kFgyrtQ_8jSrb8/s320/6%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-88322698992384534372024-01-05T16:58:00.000-08:002024-01-05T17:29:47.030-08:00May 31, 2017 Day Trip up North<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We had the best family temple trip yesterday.
Aaron was blessed with peace and inspiration to quickly avert a last-minute
lost wallet crisis (passport card and temple recommend not optional)--it
occurred to him that he had left his wallet in his backpack in his office at
work, so he quickly darted over, grabbed it, and we still managed to get out of
the house on time. If we leave by 8:00, he can make it to the 10:30 session and
I can barely get in for the 1:00 when he comes out. Considering getting 8
people out the door geared up to be gone for the entire day, we did pretty
well--the worst things we forgot were the peanut butter and a knife. The kids
sure didn't mind when we stopped at Extra Foods in Cardston and got some
Canadian Nutella-like spread to enjoy on our bread for lunch.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76ebU_ZjiMBTiqRmqCGSD3M6aMTOFBk1C0kAu3vvtEJG5dw2cUbW0Af2k-ubF9JZ-s3WCe5YkcId6W5croevTfkVAtzaU6G8vBYQtARsnCNDjUSCLNHuIyovTzlpNSR8RpGHI9DswIsKxaHsVvo3nCg-N81nkQQ9p8-DqIrBeDNBhzV83mcON9ogPPOc/s1600/Cardston%20nutella.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76ebU_ZjiMBTiqRmqCGSD3M6aMTOFBk1C0kAu3vvtEJG5dw2cUbW0Af2k-ubF9JZ-s3WCe5YkcId6W5croevTfkVAtzaU6G8vBYQtARsnCNDjUSCLNHuIyovTzlpNSR8RpGHI9DswIsKxaHsVvo3nCg-N81nkQQ9p8-DqIrBeDNBhzV83mcON9ogPPOc/w500-h375/Cardston%20nutella.JPG" width="500" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Of course we had to keep up tradition and get
some Canadian-special Ketchup Potato Chips and other unique flavors. I finally
remembered to bring a little coin purse of Canadian change with us that I have
had since our initial drive up through Canada to Alaska 6 years ago. I gave
each of the kids a $2 coin and let them choose some candy from the bulk bins.
Who can get the closest to $2 without going over? Elodie won with $1.85 because
she was the only one who didn't go over! In an effort to show consideration for
the cashier and customers behind us, I just bailed out my big-spenders with
more small change from the coin purse. I think Xander felt like he won, or at
least beat the system, when he walked away with $3+ worth of candy due to the
inaccuracy of produce scales and possibly some faulty mental math.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The weather was perfect for picnicking and
playing at a park just blocks from the temple. As Xander relaxed on Kaleb's
tiny blanket, he told me he likes these family Saturday trips <b>much</b> more
than track trips. What beats family?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCYBPhBhxgS6C8V0NAsqttvM2Sl-q5_trDNdnt44og3WSOHHk2x4aOYG5yntKeEQpDSbP_VAMcY0N3zlyxPT9J61SEB0EShQYAyVo37EKla2J-ZiPv78wAM25ENbVgUj3VXN03b6oJvOMyKwnb8y3tdqbttqDVyFVwK0Bc1gNRY2bv5BVa6m9oC93l0I/s1600/Cardston%20relax.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCYBPhBhxgS6C8V0NAsqttvM2Sl-q5_trDNdnt44og3WSOHHk2x4aOYG5yntKeEQpDSbP_VAMcY0N3zlyxPT9J61SEB0EShQYAyVo37EKla2J-ZiPv78wAM25ENbVgUj3VXN03b6oJvOMyKwnb8y3tdqbttqDVyFVwK0Bc1gNRY2bv5BVa6m9oC93l0I/w430-h572/Cardston%20relax.JPG" width="430" /></a></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I was relieved to see Aaron come out of the
temple at 12:51. I passed off the kids and felt so grateful as I walked in to
the Lord's House for the privilege to worship there. On our drive up, we had
been listening to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair. I just loved how
the adventure started with Jill receiving instructions from the great lion on a
high mountain. As he sent her down to Narnia to fulfill her mission, he warned
her that while she could see and think clearly up there, she would find that
there was much to distract her and cloud her thinking down below. I love how
beautifully CS Lewis teaches truth through his allegories. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">While I was basking in the glow of the temple,
Aaron and the kids were basking in the sun at another nearby park. They played
catch, hit the baseball around, climbed the spiderweb and rode the zipper, and
Kaleb even took a nap! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The weather was perfect for our stop at Glacier
National Park on the drive back. We were pretty jazzed about doing a little
exploring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rSFoxHCWJo-EyWF_ukbxiy416-XCpIlCwFBcHEwCLNcc43e4xE2eF1ldSowNwYT3of0YO7EpBbYbU9gH031IdBT23gLoBHWkNv5IFt454G874MP5jx6l7nnV_drB_17NFegNeTciUC1mDJi0fOoALRGLR69_dNaEmZQqfnqquwJ7MQvBRXk6kwGOlDs/s1280/glacier%20excitement.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="525" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rSFoxHCWJo-EyWF_ukbxiy416-XCpIlCwFBcHEwCLNcc43e4xE2eF1ldSowNwYT3of0YO7EpBbYbU9gH031IdBT23gLoBHWkNv5IFt454G874MP5jx6l7nnV_drB_17NFegNeTciUC1mDJi0fOoALRGLR69_dNaEmZQqfnqquwJ7MQvBRXk6kwGOlDs/w394-h525/glacier%20excitement.JPG" width="394" /></a></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We took a gorgeous, family friendly hike to a
waterfall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMV9t55vXJTzKaSmsQopJxcNWY1R5OM89_NEkAi1fBKAVEheIwQUE8gdLiYBy5do1rMOWr08T2zgEBBg4pKppb93xC53BaH9a_ctqtHYqvHFTF7BZiBzyWcSBtFp-iJrLNdDatMWoQ4iwvCqveSCoNDM_9P25spB1ZQDI9YFz_LkkQVx8eO400SRYbxE/s1600/glacier%20waterfall.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="719" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMV9t55vXJTzKaSmsQopJxcNWY1R5OM89_NEkAi1fBKAVEheIwQUE8gdLiYBy5do1rMOWr08T2zgEBBg4pKppb93xC53BaH9a_ctqtHYqvHFTF7BZiBzyWcSBtFp-iJrLNdDatMWoQ4iwvCqveSCoNDM_9P25spB1ZQDI9YFz_LkkQVx8eO400SRYbxE/w539-h719/glacier%20waterfall.JPG" width="539" /></a></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> Aaron noticed some, ahem, bear scat on the
trail and pointed it out to help the kids realize the importance of being bear
aware. Oliver latched on to that interesting bit of information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQRj7_D8td_tU3GaUq1cq8KZAhYnvwsfPxSy5C-sG8-gNWVewH95uOte1dIs2TpikSu1miC9jKtNNZdxaQKaJhZHhFy3bID2Sjuagr9H8AVH5zSBuM5dPlI7U_PL0HRxbqi5YaP8HbMPP_YFECvfSgfudGbgOFQOMx3S9Oz7mjhYZ4hoYO2ibawEtKAY/s1600/glacier%20gushing%20waterfall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQRj7_D8td_tU3GaUq1cq8KZAhYnvwsfPxSy5C-sG8-gNWVewH95uOte1dIs2TpikSu1miC9jKtNNZdxaQKaJhZHhFy3bID2Sjuagr9H8AVH5zSBuM5dPlI7U_PL0HRxbqi5YaP8HbMPP_YFECvfSgfudGbgOFQOMx3S9Oz7mjhYZ4hoYO2ibawEtKAY/w372-h496/glacier%20gushing%20waterfall.JPG" width="372" /></a></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Xander and Elodie felt so invigorated by the
spray of the waterfall and loved the rugged beauty so much that they could
hardly "bear" to stay on the path. They REALLY wanted to scale some boulders on
the other side of the raging creek. He assured us that he's like a mountain
goat and wouldn't fall. The angle of the boulders and the loose shale covering
them led us wise parents to poop that party and suggest this interesting fallen
tree for climbing expeditions. You may be able to see the irony in this
picture--just as I snapped it Xander fell right off the log, landing gracefully
and unharmed, which would not have been the case on the rockface he was
eyeing! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYRl8iwyaOQMRH4MKQj-th40XlwRHdRcFlMXFFl8MNyyABZl02HybVv16VtY4WK-uw17lgzl7ROMj6vJw2UYeeVzYhJf21ZbzluZRaBfJUfN4IWyUmrf-rSzXN_BS6s0swqLjrnT5gN-KaHQ0YApl-EW_F06xn2PfmtY9dmp9CbkPX6-rLjUETd3vYfs/s1600/glacier%20dead%20wood%20balance%20beam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYRl8iwyaOQMRH4MKQj-th40XlwRHdRcFlMXFFl8MNyyABZl02HybVv16VtY4WK-uw17lgzl7ROMj6vJw2UYeeVzYhJf21ZbzluZRaBfJUfN4IWyUmrf-rSzXN_BS6s0swqLjrnT5gN-KaHQ0YApl-EW_F06xn2PfmtY9dmp9CbkPX6-rLjUETd3vYfs/w523-h392/glacier%20dead%20wood%20balance%20beam.JPG" width="523" /></a></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As Aaron and I diligently attended to our task
of keeping all six children alive, I could hear my mom's voice out of my
childhood calling, "Milan, oh! Not so close to the edge!" Once again,
I more fully appreciated her successful efforts of mothering all eight of us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19Llx6D009bl-7q4BNEsCZ8i8E7ayK6iDl5U8Tp4CtOk37ExNUpHsU4hWHN0T-gnJDcT-K8Bo50EkijjNxIRlM1JbPFGKQ5JeR_Zawkwg5hhsEULJEFjCqmSOuDvcV94QMSTgIzA1Af9LFLM16SFPOJI5ZgMqTMPfsqlJd07f0Wf7St6Nu4iIZlmhJPc/s1600/glacier%20kid%20fun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19Llx6D009bl-7q4BNEsCZ8i8E7ayK6iDl5U8Tp4CtOk37ExNUpHsU4hWHN0T-gnJDcT-K8Bo50EkijjNxIRlM1JbPFGKQ5JeR_Zawkwg5hhsEULJEFjCqmSOuDvcV94QMSTgIzA1Af9LFLM16SFPOJI5ZgMqTMPfsqlJd07f0Wf7St6Nu4iIZlmhJPc/w531-h398/glacier%20kid%20fun.JPG" width="531" /></a></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We saw a bear. After we had returned to the
safety of our vehicle, gratefully. Oliver was so excited to see it and told us
matter-of factly, "That bear poop on a trail." Yep, he's the one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39VYuu3ed76GiTZmsAKhvmamnS1ODMtFA7_VnZCMfwebOlLMYmL6tLQpTwq9DktVV4yr1Vloq1XC8ueiImhVf79BKZQLYpKMibmr2o_em94v4hckuSrySoSgvxlWmdi15CLKaHo5bsEpSxpjQ4Vo-9l9UFWZ0mkZRndRw_bKXSmd9Qh-m12_w-TJkiuQ/s1600/glacier%20bear.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="565" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39VYuu3ed76GiTZmsAKhvmamnS1ODMtFA7_VnZCMfwebOlLMYmL6tLQpTwq9DktVV4yr1Vloq1XC8ueiImhVf79BKZQLYpKMibmr2o_em94v4hckuSrySoSgvxlWmdi15CLKaHo5bsEpSxpjQ4Vo-9l9UFWZ0mkZRndRw_bKXSmd9Qh-m12_w-TJkiuQ/w423-h565/glacier%20bear.JPG" width="423" /></a></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We heated up some sloppy joes for dinner and
decided that their sloppiness plus our kids equaled a bad idea at a picnic spot
bearing a sign on each table declaring the seriousness of leaving no food
traces to keep bears away from people. We tried. And we learned a valuable
lesson for next time's meal prep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUp9BJ-EuKNNB4Ih2VCZ9t3CZQ_mU435SWFVu1Qop7XJhTyOJ35xcEYEAeC_aVoGfz58JDi_O_zG7cmoaF9vw1nCpm2ir_pMh8VaMwYH4HjBJvs9bX28wTQRakOjC-rUv8y7xKWzcczEqM-HKVR10PN2g7RHhPEQMGA3gH_SWLRdNmJ4AXP1CMqBiuwkY/s1600/Glacier%20cutie%20Kaleb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="744" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUp9BJ-EuKNNB4Ih2VCZ9t3CZQ_mU435SWFVu1Qop7XJhTyOJ35xcEYEAeC_aVoGfz58JDi_O_zG7cmoaF9vw1nCpm2ir_pMh8VaMwYH4HjBJvs9bX28wTQRakOjC-rUv8y7xKWzcczEqM-HKVR10PN2g7RHhPEQMGA3gH_SWLRdNmJ4AXP1CMqBiuwkY/w558-h744/Glacier%20cutie%20Kaleb.JPG" width="558" /></a></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We were having such a lovely time that we
couldn't "bear" to be practical and leave quite yet, so we strolled down to Saint
Mary's lake to climb on more logs and skip rocks, because everyone knows that
lakes are way better than streams for rock skipping.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDbtoYBmNQ2ZjwrqhHo2JrjuUCqG1vfoaP92dv1dyTDstbQcX6D5i5VQT5lhWF_SyZlh7-A23VzuEVvUQRCOJxwrkqcGar6zqLNKwhMLwIiDy8C4pOnhOEGN5dm0XhrxQLLS0KuHa8jy4gHeLZ8qbCCrgI0-VxMuilNyzOHMxOiv62vptXRS6MbzFmoU/s1600/glacier%20st%20mary%20lake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDbtoYBmNQ2ZjwrqhHo2JrjuUCqG1vfoaP92dv1dyTDstbQcX6D5i5VQT5lhWF_SyZlh7-A23VzuEVvUQRCOJxwrkqcGar6zqLNKwhMLwIiDy8C4pOnhOEGN5dm0XhrxQLLS0KuHa8jy4gHeLZ8qbCCrgI0-VxMuilNyzOHMxOiv62vptXRS6MbzFmoU/w622-h467/glacier%20st%20mary%20lake.JPG" width="622" /></a></div></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I can't think of a more
joyful, rejuvenating way to spend a day. I love where I live!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsny16i8RvvLccIqOBl437lIfUBcVDOo5WglPCn568cqtJ7_vYrPesxFqv-64rqekz9f2_XEQ2C8MsqTwYwvfefCpA9_-hZBtyIKXsJMTawwvi5L9mdRnZnXAyUq3INoCkZ_v6FgcJvwVzP0a_o8h-kpFLcxN52nzOsO8L47dvjNLAlW93rsYGN37u3w/s1600/glacier%20girl%20power.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsny16i8RvvLccIqOBl437lIfUBcVDOo5WglPCn568cqtJ7_vYrPesxFqv-64rqekz9f2_XEQ2C8MsqTwYwvfefCpA9_-hZBtyIKXsJMTawwvi5L9mdRnZnXAyUq3INoCkZ_v6FgcJvwVzP0a_o8h-kpFLcxN52nzOsO8L47dvjNLAlW93rsYGN37u3w/w621-h466/glacier%20girl%20power.JPG" width="621" /></a></div><br /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-566424458744404932024-01-05T16:46:00.000-08:002024-01-05T16:58:59.142-08:00December 2017, Idaho Winter Wonderland Cousin ChristmasIdeal. In a word, that's how I'd describe our Christmas celebration this year.The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-69831092920673760472017-12-17T19:06:00.000-08:002017-12-17T19:06:13.138-08:00Merry Christmas 2017!With the Christmas season clipping merrily along and the daily demands of a young family, I realized that the only way to get some semblance of a Christmas card out was to work together! So here is our semblance of a Christmas letter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv1xVReZGb0knnBhw30Pyb7eYD5YnhrQ0gez7dJUXIHAhrN5elKJhSSAzKNbY4DAbd085EwmBTG8ECPB32kz2Oprbt4QDxt3G05ZDxOyLrKBU1Xb-Hs-ovX47bAThunpqRhkIYgNqNC8/s1600/IMG_0404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBv1xVReZGb0knnBhw30Pyb7eYD5YnhrQ0gez7dJUXIHAhrN5elKJhSSAzKNbY4DAbd085EwmBTG8ECPB32kz2Oprbt4QDxt3G05ZDxOyLrKBU1Xb-Hs-ovX47bAThunpqRhkIYgNqNC8/s640/IMG_0404.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
To start out with, Dad is awesome. We went backpacking together on my 12th birthday. He carried my pack for some of the way--I love him for that! He took me hunting this year and we were successful at harvesting white-tail deer. He makes the best hamburgers. Since Dad switched jobs, he is not weighed down by being on call--he's happy, fun, and relaxed. He is happy to be raising his family in good old Montana. (Written by his eldest son, Xander)<br />
<br />
Our wonderful mother is the best!! She is so happy to be in this house that we got this year. She has a big kitchen that she loves to cook and bake in. Her eggrolls, pot stickers, and ravioli are my favorite meals.š I love baking with her. Mom turned 38 this year and is a great leader. (addition to Dad) She is a great example to not only our family, but also the whole community. She is not afraid to start a conversation, or talk to someone she doesn't know! Thanks for what you do for our family! I'm so glad you're my mom! (Written by her favorite oldest daughter, Elodie)<br />
<br />
Xander has participated in tennis, swimming, and basketball with tennis being his favorite (like father like son :)) this year. He also earned some extra money moving lawns this past summer and has been very service minded. Xander and I went backpacking to Renshaw Lake up at Benchmark in the Lewis and Clark wilderness just south west of Augusta, MT. He did great and it was so fun to have him go up the mountain being 11 y/o and then came down the moutain 12 y/o and transitioned into being a young man. He was ordained a deacon and has been doing a fine job passing the sacrament and magnifying his calling. He has progressed to a first class scout and will go up to a Star scout at his next court of honor Jan 2018. We also went hunting together and harvested deer together. Xander loves engineering and is active in a robotics club in 4-H, It is exciting to have him become such a capable outdoors man, athletic, academically capable, and well rounded young man. I am very excited to see what becomes of him in 2018! (by his very proud father)<br />
<br />
Elodie shares a room with me. She usually sleeps in the top bunk, but once she fell asleep in my bed with me. Elodie is a great sister. I love her. Elodie LOVES to read. And she loves to take care of Kaleb. She is good at playing the piano and she's learning to play the flute. Elodie played tennis. I bet she likes it a lot. And she loves to make treats like cookies. She once tried selling cookies--she made a lot of progress. I love it when Elodie makes treats--they're really good! Elodie loved it when her cousin Corinne got to spend a week with us in Montana this summer. (dictated by her one and only sister, Hazel)<br />
<br />
Hazel plays with me a lot. She is really good at making stuff. Hazel is really good at singing and sings in music class and at home. She splashed in the water at the swimming pool in the summer (she was on the bubble blowers swim team). She really likes to play house with her baby dolls. She does really good at school. She's a Dahle. (dictated by her little brother, Max)<br />
<br />
Max is my best friend. He plays with me a lot. I'm glad he's my friend. Max is learning how to swim. It's fun seeing him swim. Max is funny a lot. Max is in school. He really likes kindergarten. He likes his teacher, Miss Rowley. Max is really good at making projects in school. Max is 5. Max loves to play Legos. He loves to dress up like a knight and play battle with Oliver. Max is such a playful, kind, lovable guy. (dictated by his big sister, Hazel)<br />
<br />
Oliver is a 3-year-old with a big personality. I love the time I get to spend with him everyday. He definitely misses having older siblings around now that Max is in school all day, so he is constantly trying to recruit me to play with him--bedtime tigers, dinos, and trucks being some of his favorites. He is a goer and when he knows we're going somewhere, he can hardly wait to get out the door. He's got some definite leadership skills in there, though they may need a bit of refining. "No, mom! Don't do a job! Get your shoes on and go to the mini-park!" When I try to reason with him about how we'll go as soon as I ____, he tries a different approach. "I am not staying here!" and he walks outside. He's a determined little fellow. Many times I have heard his cute little voice say, "No, I'm not hungry for dinner, I'm hungry for cookies!" I usually win that battle. But bedtime, whew, bedtime. I'd say he is winning that battle night after night. Currently, he will only go to sleep if I (or occasionally Dad) stay in his room until he falls asleep, which takes him around an hour. Poor Max can usually fall asleep through Oliver's antics, but sometimes, when Max is looking exhausted by dinnertime, Aaron jokes that Max is The Goob from <i>Meet the Robinson's</i>. Oh, I am capturing a bit of Oliver's feistiness but not his absolutely endearing cuteness. "You're the best, nice mom! I love you really much!" and "We're having the best day together, right mom?" are just some of the exuberant, loving phrases I hear from him. He simply adores helping me cook and bake and knows the names and locations of many cooking utensils. He's an adorably helpful little assistant, sometimes even anticipating my needs for a "spatula" or "cookie sheet." And he gives the best, sweetest, most sincere, timely, unprompted apologies. Last week, when he was doing a slumped-shoulder pout that he learned from Max, I knelt down and started talking to him heart to heart. He immediately said, "Mom, I'm sorry I did bad shoulders." Melts my heart all the time. Watch out, Primary, here he comes!! (I am currently the Primary President, so I'll get to see first-hand how that goes! Well, I'm getting close to a thousand words here (which is why I needed my less verbose family to help me lest I never get this done!) so I'd better just include a picture and call it good.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlD6dWaiXrZeMBAscmDSSjr4hDCtlzP4eY1Dqua9huS5UI7kbUnJWC_9HqY0BBdccUNUlVpev-uaKAYr_SszV8TKf4k_Lapuw8zEe-mTIobg3gZu14IMp7NascGwohGZBhLAqot2MiyI/s1600/IMG_3677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdlD6dWaiXrZeMBAscmDSSjr4hDCtlzP4eY1Dqua9huS5UI7kbUnJWC_9HqY0BBdccUNUlVpev-uaKAYr_SszV8TKf4k_Lapuw8zEe-mTIobg3gZu14IMp7NascGwohGZBhLAqot2MiyI/s320/IMG_3677.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7P4GKiwfVGnTjCdsqr3gfqkdup3e_hhO_yxh0RS6CyG810Ve4x1PL_XtzqbhSVIxbOV2lOrL16GEjGFDFfvbmFLjGRpJbuLaQR_XlD3_u96JkN9vyKN-dede5eaaNSeZzbxOXZYRVVmA/s1600/IMG_3556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7P4GKiwfVGnTjCdsqr3gfqkdup3e_hhO_yxh0RS6CyG810Ve4x1PL_XtzqbhSVIxbOV2lOrL16GEjGFDFfvbmFLjGRpJbuLaQR_XlD3_u96JkN9vyKN-dede5eaaNSeZzbxOXZYRVVmA/s320/IMG_3556.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Kaleb is a very sweet soul. We are all very grateful for the newest addition to our family. He has blessed us with his sweet, lovable self! He has a fever, and we all are very sad, we hate to see him cry. His first word was ball(that's his favorite toy). He can also say pumpkin, (he pronounces it pumpen) Mommy(muh-ma) Daddy(dah-da),and uh-uh. He loves to eat, sitting at his tray way past breakfast begging for more cereal!šWe love our little man!!š(Written by Elodie)The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-56760984790836786082017-08-13T19:43:00.001-07:002017-08-13T19:47:03.573-07:00Kaleb's Been Around for a Year?!?!Kaleb is ONE! He has one little tooth, which broke through about one week ago, and he can stand up on his own for about one second. We think he is one delightfully precious little guy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1Lm3NqnSbGcb7NwD9WSQhp1GbVnSAJ4X3Im0n2rKyZ-X2ryX4vzKH5-U9639rJnzSGK4kUpVmWxNeB5AoNTBOFr1TqJKlEeYND6CP84OrwXKuyQWohRAklOP-JU_d5a-b-ntPY6HTyM/s1600/IMG_2841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT1Lm3NqnSbGcb7NwD9WSQhp1GbVnSAJ4X3Im0n2rKyZ-X2ryX4vzKH5-U9639rJnzSGK4kUpVmWxNeB5AoNTBOFr1TqJKlEeYND6CP84OrwXKuyQWohRAklOP-JU_d5a-b-ntPY6HTyM/s640/IMG_2841.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
Elodie enjoyed showing her love by baking him an exceptionally delicious chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate whipped cream. (Thank you melskitchencafe.com and our dear friend who delivered this cake to us and introduced us to its wonders last year just after Kaleb's arrival.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjveLksbqWuCl7U1S5BmxN_qZuzdYICG7ijd_wIPvrLJLUmahry9qyD6UgV2trXZYYyF69m1AtASuIFwOjEPhGwt0k25yFSZ2SM0s7XIkawG7duqCc-EvXphyphenhyphen_CDzzJaINq3uEQEKyB8/s1600/IMG_2845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjveLksbqWuCl7U1S5BmxN_qZuzdYICG7ijd_wIPvrLJLUmahry9qyD6UgV2trXZYYyF69m1AtASuIFwOjEPhGwt0k25yFSZ2SM0s7XIkawG7duqCc-EvXphyphenhyphen_CDzzJaINq3uEQEKyB8/s640/IMG_2845.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The first thing he noticed was that it was really fun to stick his finger in that fluffy stuff. He unselfishly offered the finger-full of whipped cream to everyone in his vicinity before even tasting it himself.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuQf7RhS3ZS5se1ROhizJdORFFyFkcMJ3r0g2Y6SKG5OgB7_MjP_gG88Mp5KnxXOYu2aE-euUd-qbNkP9lzt2JZl02gBOtD5MU6GAPhhstqEUHRByhMMjGR1izmblTlUysaW_B5MPvjI/s1600/IMG_2852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuQf7RhS3ZS5se1ROhizJdORFFyFkcMJ3r0g2Y6SKG5OgB7_MjP_gG88Mp5KnxXOYu2aE-euUd-qbNkP9lzt2JZl02gBOtD5MU6GAPhhstqEUHRByhMMjGR1izmblTlUysaW_B5MPvjI/s640/IMG_2852.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Being a baby, it didn't take long before he stuck it in his mouth. When he realized how amazing it tasted, he really dug in.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuQf7RhS3ZS5se1ROhizJdORFFyFkcMJ3r0g2Y6SKG5OgB7_MjP_gG88Mp5KnxXOYu2aE-euUd-qbNkP9lzt2JZl02gBOtD5MU6GAPhhstqEUHRByhMMjGR1izmblTlUysaW_B5MPvjI/s1600/IMG_2852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNivgnRl1I_D-qrHd05dIGP7M7z4yJkMWpcaKYDfhgVvgkBGxRSwks4pwezf5mxtGUEEJLnkPkrNfDgpHVrA5PcKl0Yoh5AyxeNtAbP7wek12QkxzryNPp3qEsXTWdHUaLSbR7ZIdv8o/s1600/IMG_2854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoNivgnRl1I_D-qrHd05dIGP7M7z4yJkMWpcaKYDfhgVvgkBGxRSwks4pwezf5mxtGUEEJLnkPkrNfDgpHVrA5PcKl0Yoh5AyxeNtAbP7wek12QkxzryNPp3qEsXTWdHUaLSbR7ZIdv8o/s640/IMG_2854.JPG" width="480" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuQf7RhS3ZS5se1ROhizJdORFFyFkcMJ3r0g2Y6SKG5OgB7_MjP_gG88Mp5KnxXOYu2aE-euUd-qbNkP9lzt2JZl02gBOtD5MU6GAPhhstqEUHRByhMMjGR1izmblTlUysaW_B5MPvjI/s1600/IMG_2852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuQf7RhS3ZS5se1ROhizJdORFFyFkcMJ3r0g2Y6SKG5OgB7_MjP_gG88Mp5KnxXOYu2aE-euUd-qbNkP9lzt2JZl02gBOtD5MU6GAPhhstqEUHRByhMMjGR1izmblTlUysaW_B5MPvjI/s1600/IMG_2852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuQf7RhS3ZS5se1ROhizJdORFFyFkcMJ3r0g2Y6SKG5OgB7_MjP_gG88Mp5KnxXOYu2aE-euUd-qbNkP9lzt2JZl02gBOtD5MU6GAPhhstqEUHRByhMMjGR1izmblTlUysaW_B5MPvjI/s1600/IMG_2852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuQf7RhS3ZS5se1ROhizJdORFFyFkcMJ3r0g2Y6SKG5OgB7_MjP_gG88Mp5KnxXOYu2aE-euUd-qbNkP9lzt2JZl02gBOtD5MU6GAPhhstqEUHRByhMMjGR1izmblTlUysaW_B5MPvjI/s1600/IMG_2852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuQf7RhS3ZS5se1ROhizJdORFFyFkcMJ3r0g2Y6SKG5OgB7_MjP_gG88Mp5KnxXOYu2aE-euUd-qbNkP9lzt2JZl02gBOtD5MU6GAPhhstqEUHRByhMMjGR1izmblTlUysaW_B5MPvjI/s1600/IMG_2852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
And then he just kept going and going. He had already eaten a huge heap of birthday curry, but that didn't prevent him from stuffing a remarkable amount of whipped cream and cake into his cute little face. He kept the crowd delighted with his classic chocolate beard and 'stache.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1LrMzigMf_h2LBK4kAoatKZGVxTMFqeCF85SDtPBHTP8I1Xr1WK5SdSEcGGohptgJYeAJbQMclJSqIgdeWxOePATFHDpyd_nze7q0psjZzqsSUDr6ffbB4GlG-21iuC-3-DBdqvWE4Ss/s1600/IMG_2862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1LrMzigMf_h2LBK4kAoatKZGVxTMFqeCF85SDtPBHTP8I1Xr1WK5SdSEcGGohptgJYeAJbQMclJSqIgdeWxOePATFHDpyd_nze7q0psjZzqsSUDr6ffbB4GlG-21iuC-3-DBdqvWE4Ss/s640/IMG_2862.JPG" title="" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
And even when we decided that the wise thing to do was to remove the huge cake from his tray because we couldn't see how a guy his size could fit another bite, his sweet pleading look as we pulled the cake away did convince us to leave a small piece on his tray. Kaleb is good at what he does--he found ways to remain the center of attention even while everyone was enjoying their own delicious slice of chocolaty goodness. (Elodie made an additional 9x13 cake that was undefiled--we did have company over, after all.) He started clapping out of excitement and LOVED it when everybody joined in clapping for him.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWtzh-B4Tudm6qJBCECz5nOo4WH59UUaGC0DzetajRzH_zD187ju3WaYAyrpO58FuxqmdoUXHDZnc4E0pImEwVuMtMbSIwZK52UCIsOCq0uDRYXZpABOSBOIdL9AeqvN2sim1dqMuYpg/s1600/IMG_2875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWtzh-B4Tudm6qJBCECz5nOo4WH59UUaGC0DzetajRzH_zD187ju3WaYAyrpO58FuxqmdoUXHDZnc4E0pImEwVuMtMbSIwZK52UCIsOCq0uDRYXZpABOSBOIdL9AeqvN2sim1dqMuYpg/s640/IMG_2875.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Then came the individual shout outs to his fans--the single-handed point.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVDuUVhIs56vjc53ia9uJRBGJvzaDsdXKACjfY45yaIBwgtwSFkbbRTuF8ghvpzFUjzkNT4F-nVBvuknRm-sjlBCMHmAGyCvkqbnOI3NKNRgUpsuuJskYcZNeQgu2HSjzVbR3tV0OfQI/s1600/IMG_2896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVDuUVhIs56vjc53ia9uJRBGJvzaDsdXKACjfY45yaIBwgtwSFkbbRTuF8ghvpzFUjzkNT4F-nVBvuknRm-sjlBCMHmAGyCvkqbnOI3NKNRgUpsuuJskYcZNeQgu2HSjzVbR3tV0OfQI/s640/IMG_2896.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And the double.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7eSzeuepza8unVzxA0Y06IYw5QphBzbX66IMEOspi24S5QkAo9thp1k2At2s_TpHOoPG6dlLgExcU4vkKBVxVATNkmbDfoaDBj2v96A-L4c2E4qExypkdt7LpSZhPWh3JMA3j1k9YcQ/s1600/IMG_2892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK7eSzeuepza8unVzxA0Y06IYw5QphBzbX66IMEOspi24S5QkAo9thp1k2At2s_TpHOoPG6dlLgExcU4vkKBVxVATNkmbDfoaDBj2v96A-L4c2E4qExypkdt7LpSZhPWh3JMA3j1k9YcQ/s640/IMG_2892.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The drawn-out, squinty blinks. Removing his bib and throwing it in a heap. Oh this kid was a ham! Sheer delight. 10 out of 10, Kaleb. Well done.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05_F37R_hb4Z_bKbVWDThxQzCw6lqInQNMj5o9ndvNAIEQ5FviC7t7mDDCnllH4beIPEqXfN6uqQykyd5BaE6AgoeTJuf7-eDZzxwhMCS2xmXpx3ly0oUkEPpxKNx8BKzn7KXoLe6KAw/s1600/IMG_2889.MOV" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi05_F37R_hb4Z_bKbVWDThxQzCw6lqInQNMj5o9ndvNAIEQ5FviC7t7mDDCnllH4beIPEqXfN6uqQykyd5BaE6AgoeTJuf7-eDZzxwhMCS2xmXpx3ly0oUkEPpxKNx8BKzn7KXoLe6KAw/s640/IMG_2889.MOV" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable first birthday party! We sure love this wonderful little addition to our family and can hardly imagine our family without him!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloknKImN69oc3KwhMjQNf9vYh8L6PBAMz6DKLw1Gi7x7nnCDDMxs8f1BlzYl-mESxLOnjstiA3GkkLuQJp-X_mjS8chYz4idWsj1_e5CwgnsoKRlTSFnxeMLvcDMNfI1tY9b_A3WrTyA/s1600/IMG_2871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloknKImN69oc3KwhMjQNf9vYh8L6PBAMz6DKLw1Gi7x7nnCDDMxs8f1BlzYl-mESxLOnjstiA3GkkLuQJp-X_mjS8chYz4idWsj1_e5CwgnsoKRlTSFnxeMLvcDMNfI1tY9b_A3WrTyA/s640/IMG_2871.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-43505371151404897042017-07-23T16:53:00.001-07:002017-07-23T16:53:09.646-07:00Dabbling in DogWe continue to live this summer to the fullest. Piper was the highlight of this week for the kids. Some friends asked us if we'd watch their dog this week, and since Aaron completed Oliver's fence a few weeks ago, we were able to welcome a dog into it. Just minutes after this sweet, elderly dog arrived, Elodie insisted that we take her to the park with us where all the kids enjoyed her immensely.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT7iPp3PFAQN9ocs9r0sYGEZkIwZbE28IIR8EKPgMnzy9gks9IVBMPQKAauCzZ8tfMAfSLtbLjFvVCnXjWKZklZafHHtHOeMp5UcLmp1cAPo_pQmzrz2alVLhjirfotsdmHKJQsNksH8/s1600/IMG_2675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQT7iPp3PFAQN9ocs9r0sYGEZkIwZbE28IIR8EKPgMnzy9gks9IVBMPQKAauCzZ8tfMAfSLtbLjFvVCnXjWKZklZafHHtHOeMp5UcLmp1cAPo_pQmzrz2alVLhjirfotsdmHKJQsNksH8/s400/IMG_2675.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
Oliver has loved having a buddy to go visit when he heads out back. "+I want a go outside and see, ummmm, that dog." (He can't seem to remember her name.) What a patient dog! Any dog that can handle Oliver's hugging, ear exploring, snuggling, and general antics is top in my books. It was so sweet to watch Oliver cuddle her and say, "I love you, dog."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19Ca8ynLAIEPpYH26yQQzrZqLnAK4o8Wj7Uiq-j_CJKpDSQF_ctp8Wh_1UZHimUDapNPT2gfhg4JiYYF2jtkLdLzsBbR6JE8hCo-n3qFeKrkunAEhmQbnbSnvvC-6WYh8VRYioOk-0Rk/s1600/IMG_2702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi19Ca8ynLAIEPpYH26yQQzrZqLnAK4o8Wj7Uiq-j_CJKpDSQF_ctp8Wh_1UZHimUDapNPT2gfhg4JiYYF2jtkLdLzsBbR6JE8hCo-n3qFeKrkunAEhmQbnbSnvvC-6WYh8VRYioOk-0Rk/s320/IMG_2702.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
While the older kids, including Hazel, were at a swim meet, Max was excited to be the one to walk Piper. He was confident and started off down the road. He got in for a little more than he bargained for and soon Piper was running full speed and Max's legs were flailing as he tried to keep up. He couldn't. Piper yanked the leash away and kept running down the road. Max began screaming. I was still in front of the house waiting for Oliver on his big wheel, which he is not too speedy on since his feet don't quite reach the pedals yet. I quickly decided to ditch Oliver and Kaleb in the stroller and ran off after Piper, calling her name once I'd narrowed the distance. I was mentally planning on how a teenage neighbor I saw riding towards me on his bike could come in very handy should I be unable to catch this runaway dog. Gratefully, that proved unnecessary since this sweet lab is so obedient. As soon as she heard me call her name, she turned around and trotted right back to me. I was so proud of Max who decided to try again. We looped the leash safely around his wrist and he held on tight, calling to Piper to low down when needed. He did great!The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-3088050167365085262017-05-21T21:31:00.002-07:002017-05-21T21:31:49.906-07:00Busy and Blessed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">Science Fair, Piano Recital, Baseball (that was gratefully mostly rained out), Band concert, Scout Campout, friend's birthday party, play date, and all of the normal daily needs of six kids made for a very busy week around here!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6e8Mc9MXzUn4fNkoJ_dGvhMraLVz9YmUQdWQmikmESIG9qXQ_MY-kVF-0IylyqAvKWly-4zj_Uq6JM4WPwkAScy5aIIwure2twewTcSxAmbb0acVzNdyfwi6J7-E0CWwWhxQSJfslOk/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6e8Mc9MXzUn4fNkoJ_dGvhMraLVz9YmUQdWQmikmESIG9qXQ_MY-kVF-0IylyqAvKWly-4zj_Uq6JM4WPwkAScy5aIIwure2twewTcSxAmbb0acVzNdyfwi6J7-E0CWwWhxQSJfslOk/s640/IMG_2050.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlkN3xfo7jVZ1DF7ydSj9L0jjhTyoNtI4q7uJU58w98iQZOWs0nJeFkir7y77WWRVvo4wSn6UtnzpTe1UGWQuWnugs5-GWqkF3y1rFggpY0Fh5ghnpshc6hVEqvYI0Rdpek-SFgPbuf0/s1600/IMG_2062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlkN3xfo7jVZ1DF7ydSj9L0jjhTyoNtI4q7uJU58w98iQZOWs0nJeFkir7y77WWRVvo4wSn6UtnzpTe1UGWQuWnugs5-GWqkF3y1rFggpY0Fh5ghnpshc6hVEqvYI0Rdpek-SFgPbuf0/s640/IMG_2062.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1aEn31XVoiUn7YwFeyH6XmewPP2YE4nRURK7fytFjhY6GOwRIATkbNUUQIFgTkxBPlEbJsORZuYf-hoYU9Zh8JA0-aYsv7Drd81FYfcPuU6STqWQx5Z6mZX-x7Dr-LS-CSApErCg9zM/s1600/IMG_2058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1aEn31XVoiUn7YwFeyH6XmewPP2YE4nRURK7fytFjhY6GOwRIATkbNUUQIFgTkxBPlEbJsORZuYf-hoYU9Zh8JA0-aYsv7Drd81FYfcPuU6STqWQx5Z6mZX-x7Dr-LS-CSApErCg9zM/s640/IMG_2058.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB0PdQ__RwFzHfKvtxH2T1cteRuxrOQxo0GFX-jSGYcXLWSdD6wqKU7R6neGGnCSINB-K9zHgUHw4IMpi3CXioJqS1RQA9gpIXZHjd1aAhNWZYxG6CpgIZdpkvAoZ3ueD69H0sTcGDHI/s1600/IMG_2040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB0PdQ__RwFzHfKvtxH2T1cteRuxrOQxo0GFX-jSGYcXLWSdD6wqKU7R6neGGnCSINB-K9zHgUHw4IMpi3CXioJqS1RQA9gpIXZHjd1aAhNWZYxG6CpgIZdpkvAoZ3ueD69H0sTcGDHI/s640/IMG_2040.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxCuAUylhQi1z2LiHlkv_Ol3LRHiiylFDhOwzfWvmhyvVvIW1ZE9uAJSHaVPWZf0ctSkYDBei9tMlKcIniAqv0BtCykUdTfVovn5MKhQ9t4SLs91khY3IWW_bfHOwiNr7kdZRP1iDXko/s1600/IMG_2027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxCuAUylhQi1z2LiHlkv_Ol3LRHiiylFDhOwzfWvmhyvVvIW1ZE9uAJSHaVPWZf0ctSkYDBei9tMlKcIniAqv0BtCykUdTfVovn5MKhQ9t4SLs91khY3IWW_bfHOwiNr7kdZRP1iDXko/s640/IMG_2027.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UocF0a2m2BOZsT7qzRe9LSoi3yUZFWguAvGaRHCfdmQrw28YanpeZA-yILAlV5DpIAqp-XOaxHyfZ0dFHICpWZzgwQnWvZdTeJS1u4eZKqM_AH2zKdgs0l5HBAKCudTS5zm3rGxgFgw/s1600/IMG_2033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2UocF0a2m2BOZsT7qzRe9LSoi3yUZFWguAvGaRHCfdmQrw28YanpeZA-yILAlV5DpIAqp-XOaxHyfZ0dFHICpWZzgwQnWvZdTeJS1u4eZKqM_AH2zKdgs0l5HBAKCudTS5zm3rGxgFgw/s640/IMG_2033.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwqKGq9HbunrqwnIMumEf9-8xr7IAs8IZXS9dJkA7jJQhN57UDaY0cTAeMfvjkN2iJo0LS-5bfb9OVHO3Q39iRkcgyta5_aHG_w48M8QegyfJ-gPmwEGDYz5nohJsYAgufaaAe7X3jLE/s1600/IMG_2047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwqKGq9HbunrqwnIMumEf9-8xr7IAs8IZXS9dJkA7jJQhN57UDaY0cTAeMfvjkN2iJo0LS-5bfb9OVHO3Q39iRkcgyta5_aHG_w48M8QegyfJ-gPmwEGDYz5nohJsYAgufaaAe7X3jLE/s640/IMG_2047.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-84846710329741479502017-05-14T21:16:00.000-07:002017-05-21T21:16:44.740-07:00Spring has SprungAs Aaron's mom used to say, "Spring has sprung, the grass is ris', I wonder where the birdies is?"<br />
<br />
Well we haven't spent too much time looking for birdies this spring, but we sure have devoted a lot of weeknights to baseball! With Xander, Elodie, Hazel, and Max all participating in baseball/softball/T-ball, we're spending a lot of time at the fields. Oliver couldn't be happier. Because, naturally, the fields are outside. And Oliver's motto seems to be, "why stay inside when you could go outside?" The ball park in our town is the best because this beautiful spot is right behind the fields.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzN5Xazk3rf4azc-sZuqA7YlDeaF-HGDNmocHai4kTRJeJhcbjkvLYrRGrT4wBODaycJOUmJaIfkYRMCGJQb9gvYjYFasqijmZN0vEr4JagHprz3ythJbmcYMfVXuxuvQUITAqJwdtvz4/s1600/IMG_1980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzN5Xazk3rf4azc-sZuqA7YlDeaF-HGDNmocHai4kTRJeJhcbjkvLYrRGrT4wBODaycJOUmJaIfkYRMCGJQb9gvYjYFasqijmZN0vEr4JagHprz3ythJbmcYMfVXuxuvQUITAqJwdtvz4/s640/IMG_1980.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
On Tuesday night, Xander's game and T-ball practice for Hazel & Max were on neighboring fields just up from the creek. I didn't watch much of the baseball action, but I enjoyed watching Oliver throw huge rocks into the creek. Elodie is that pink dot in the background, having a good time trying to build a bridge with a couple of her friends whose brothers were also playing ball. When her friend cut her foot on a stick and Elodie was carefully bandaging her up, I chuckled when I overheard her friend tell her parents that Elodie was "practically a doctor" because her dad is. š<br />
<br />
After the game, Xander's friend got to come home with us while he waited for his mom to get back from watching his brother play baseball in a neighboring town. Xander and Matthew headed right over to the empty lot across the street and got a lot more hitting action than they did in the actual game. When Matthew left, Xander kept playing ball with Elodie until I begged and finally convinced them to come inside at nearly 9:00. The weather has been gorgeous; when it feels this much like summer, its hard to believe it's a school night! After a losing game where he struck out his only time at bat and got no action in left field, Xander said that playing Sandlot style afterwards was way more fun than the game had been.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr17-ikCqjBXg_UzriRBrvg1hrm-MMq0Y8MbOOW8ASZHu3HeGJaWLAc1ES1ANcmIM0NpX03kFPuMdUUgSHf9rOjIMOob2-D31jnJEXkUHuRYAxRRtfmebTJ0c364iRHMdeaGoNoxdaHks/s1600/IMG_1986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr17-ikCqjBXg_UzriRBrvg1hrm-MMq0Y8MbOOW8ASZHu3HeGJaWLAc1ES1ANcmIM0NpX03kFPuMdUUgSHf9rOjIMOob2-D31jnJEXkUHuRYAxRRtfmebTJ0c364iRHMdeaGoNoxdaHks/s640/IMG_1986.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
I don't know if he would have said the same thing after Thursday night's winning game. There was much jubilation in the bottom of the last inning when a teammate hit the ball way into outfield, brought a player home, and broke the tie. The dug out erupted in cheers and all the boys went home feeling like champs. Good times.<br />
<br />
We have made the most of the beautiful weather and the beautiful place we live by going on short little explores. We can see horses out of our window, which has often helped Oliver overcome a tantrum that he just can't quite shake. This dark brown horse here is the friendliest of the three that live just across the street from our house, behind the vacant lot. When we approach the fence to visit, this horse meanders over to the fence to say hello. Max has discovered how much he loves feeding horses. As he was yanking out long handfuls of grass to feed the friendly horse, he told me he wants to be a farmer when he grows up so he can feed horses all the day.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjM_7yoirwZBckPZufOCHEcE5IusB2jfA1pbBXuxWrYpQzvz8BqB2gcxC-dpofVsRe3lbaO391CDqsdUu4Jg1bO8quky4jD9IjivM8DORfMAIeuWEJ5aRhicf0LnAmcrMRpyv9Pe2ooI/s1600/IMG_2001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjM_7yoirwZBckPZufOCHEcE5IusB2jfA1pbBXuxWrYpQzvz8BqB2gcxC-dpofVsRe3lbaO391CDqsdUu4Jg1bO8quky4jD9IjivM8DORfMAIeuWEJ5aRhicf0LnAmcrMRpyv9Pe2ooI/s640/IMG_2001.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Just a bit further down the road, Max found this cool little bridge across the creek. What could be better for a little boy than pretending to fish with some sticks over the side and throwing rocks into the water? </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnyscfduXeNege1gdQgQeJ8mlK-CSNomidLdx_GJt9SsoXw5RzKfo8mJpU0pZr0hTflSkdw2t7GZqiW-1Vr1HUwebirDevF0C_OJE_qOROxmCi8FuAhuf6L5hYzX7otko4gEiCYX5vQE/s1600/IMG_1992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnyscfduXeNege1gdQgQeJ8mlK-CSNomidLdx_GJt9SsoXw5RzKfo8mJpU0pZr0hTflSkdw2t7GZqiW-1Vr1HUwebirDevF0C_OJE_qOROxmCi8FuAhuf6L5hYzX7otko4gEiCYX5vQE/s640/IMG_1992.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Imagine Max's excitement to find another horse just on the other side of the bridge! And this horse ate grass from his hand, too! Truly ideal childhood adventures right here.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_ZrJUQLWen3jJ7dfX3b1P5GQU9jIsPsQ2aue5Q0mzQgVE62cRAdlKqz2R90iCSfEzdYtnsNqh_Vmi4sV_l2fh9vsdzHaFE1neVjcW5PN69IQMn-J-6ZlgrHBrwaEfDMuxlfyz1FqfHE/s1600/IMG_1987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_ZrJUQLWen3jJ7dfX3b1P5GQU9jIsPsQ2aue5Q0mzQgVE62cRAdlKqz2R90iCSfEzdYtnsNqh_Vmi4sV_l2fh9vsdzHaFE1neVjcW5PN69IQMn-J-6ZlgrHBrwaEfDMuxlfyz1FqfHE/s640/IMG_1987.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-36713339855317790092017-05-03T10:23:00.000-07:002017-05-03T10:26:21.728-07:00Idaho Falls Temple Open House Family AdventureWhen what could be a once-in-a-childhood opportunity comes along, you try to make it work. So even though we couldn't find an ideal 3-day weekend to drive the 5.3 hours to Idaho Falls for the temple open house, we decided to just make it happen on a regular 2-day weekend. The first miracle was that we actually managed to drive off at 6:04 on Saturday morning. Thanks to the Prince Caspian audio book, a banana and a big bro who's great at feeding his baby bro in the car, a husband who loves going for drives, and some great little travelers, the ride went by fairly quickly and we actually arrived ahead of schedule. I had the great idea to walk down memory lane and enjoy the taste of college by hitting up a Maverik for some frozen yogurt du jour. How great was my disappointment to discover that Maverik was no longer selling the creamily delicious frozen confection by the ounce. We left empty-handed, promising ice cream after the temple tour. After driving circles around Idaho Falls, we finally arrived at Parking Lot D and we boarded the shuttle bus with great enthusiasm on Oliver's part. The primary song aptly described the beauty and sweetness of entering the temple.<br />
<div>
<br />
<div>
<div class="line" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; text-indent: -10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
I love to see the temple.</div>
<div class="line" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; text-indent: -10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
[I'm going inside today]</div>
<div class="line" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; text-indent: -10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
To feel the Holy Spirit,</div>
<div class="line" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; text-indent: -10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
To listen and to pray.</div>
<div class="line" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; text-indent: -10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
For the temple is a house of God,</div>
<div class="line" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; text-indent: -10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
A place of love and beauty.</div>
<div class="line" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; text-indent: -10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
I'll prepare myself while I am young;</div>
<div class="line" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.00784314); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 10px; text-indent: -10px; vertical-align: baseline;">
This is my sacred duty.</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSox25WedhyIoLtKFpiqrv8i7RPOcHZWbKBpeq2FLogrLup1D8omu5PKXLlIEDLeHBSIl6ST5VCDuEn6OSrgQq_reKUqP9tYV-0l9adG4GJHDuVBRJzt94xgwygyYwGGdski1F7HEGvI/s1600/IMG_1918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSox25WedhyIoLtKFpiqrv8i7RPOcHZWbKBpeq2FLogrLup1D8omu5PKXLlIEDLeHBSIl6ST5VCDuEn6OSrgQq_reKUqP9tYV-0l9adG4GJHDuVBRJzt94xgwygyYwGGdski1F7HEGvI/s640/IMG_1918.JPG" width="395" /></a></div>
<div>
It was especially neat to see the sealing rooms and to wonder with the kids which one their Grandma and Grandpa Dahle got married in over 57 years ago. I am so thankful that we were able to make this experience happen. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When we finished the tour, it was just after 3:00. Aaron noted that if we just drove straight back home we could actually make it by 9:00pm. How crazy would that be to squeeze such a long trip all into one day? But we had promises of visiting the zoo and overnight camping and ice cream cones to keep, so we decided to prove our integrity to the kids and not let them down rather than go the practical route. (Overall, I am glad we did, although in a moment of weakness in the wee hours of the morning when I was awake in the car in my snuggly sleeping bag with a screaming Kaleb next to me, I did call that decision into question.) After we divided and conquered, with Dad heading up the zoo/playground fun and Mom heading to Winco, we drove to a nice little mountain campsite just off I-15. Xander and Elodie were a great help in getting the two tents set up. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxd20Ogyz-14ZYic_iAisEqjJ6mFsWT6_P7o3EvBGdXrHfKB5V40udKIdl_zqgH3bLnVXrwL3Yh2rgoxkpkpnJ0shFFH5ylUmOvQkhFeOQWlm12tRrGqtZa-rBDCtEZOEL7LKwk0WkQY/s1600/IMG_1932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxd20Ogyz-14ZYic_iAisEqjJ6mFsWT6_P7o3EvBGdXrHfKB5V40udKIdl_zqgH3bLnVXrwL3Yh2rgoxkpkpnJ0shFFH5ylUmOvQkhFeOQWlm12tRrGqtZa-rBDCtEZOEL7LKwk0WkQY/s400/IMG_1932.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXbADSrYRI1nE5b-Jjqo_d3sPYy5-otq-vriMjY-nf7-RwEaMCw-C9OTBlaGN-5kt2ZE4eVGHAazxrVCA1i5LS4xnn057w3cyf-HJU4qHOZ3EqZ-rn5ngTYiwUxtIOYNNnenhG92oMBw/s1600/IMG_1934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXbADSrYRI1nE5b-Jjqo_d3sPYy5-otq-vriMjY-nf7-RwEaMCw-C9OTBlaGN-5kt2ZE4eVGHAazxrVCA1i5LS4xnn057w3cyf-HJU4qHOZ3EqZ-rn5ngTYiwUxtIOYNNnenhG92oMBw/s400/IMG_1934.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
We ate a delicious dinner of hamburgers, broccoli, and rice, though most people were so tired by the time camp was set up and dinner was ready that they couldn't enjoy it too much. Our children were actually begging to go to bed before we even had a chance to do the fire and s'mores. Oliver slept like a log, not waking up once in the middle of the night and getting up Sunday morning after everyone else had finished breakfast, after 8:00. Impressive little camper. I think his favorite part of camping was that he never had to go inside! Back home, this little outdoors-lover is known to put up quite a fight every time someone insists that he comes back in the house.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvtTmvjcQKnCE3qkZuelAPcX70VMkoL4Bo1Ja8nQvfkZp9frJ61ybHQ4YZWMVWyvjJ5uqY-xXSEUvkFSOFvxENiuiGhI3Qz3kj8u6pQo48hD9lf86g9IvTIBAn-u_IK8tdqpHfbRSmdU/s1600/IMG_1930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvtTmvjcQKnCE3qkZuelAPcX70VMkoL4Bo1Ja8nQvfkZp9frJ61ybHQ4YZWMVWyvjJ5uqY-xXSEUvkFSOFvxENiuiGhI3Qz3kj8u6pQo48hD9lf86g9IvTIBAn-u_IK8tdqpHfbRSmdU/s400/IMG_1930.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div>
<div>
Thanks to Aaron's excellent survival gear, we all stayed cozy warm even though remnants of winter snow spotted the campsite. It got down to 34 degrees, nearly freezing, so the roaring fire Aaron built in the morning and the gourmet hot chocolate--Mexican or Mint truffle--were just what everyone needed to feel excited about getting out of their cozy sleeping bags. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After the make-Aaron-a-happy-camper breakfast with heaps of sausage links, fried eggs, and biscuits (I wanted to serve the far simpler oatmeal but was overruled in the planning phase), every capable hand pitched in to take down camp and load up. At a rest stop up the highway, we washed up in running water and changed into our Sunday clothes. Still smelling mildly of campfire, we tried to get the timing of going to church en route just right. We just missed sacrament meeting in Lima, were disappointed when we discovered that Butte didn't have a ward meeting at 1:00, and felt truly blessed when after hightailing it to Helena and arriving at 1:15, we were just in time to partake of the sacrament. That tender mercy was a direct answer to prayer as we were doing all that we possibly could to honor the Sabbath. Sacrament meeting was a delicious spiritual feast. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The drive home went so smoothly, with peaceful travelers happily enjoying the tasty Winco bin snacks and learning from CS Lewis' insightful allegory. We passed the little town of Augusta and cheered that home was just 20 minutes away! And then Oliver suddenly threw up all over himself and screamed incessantly. Tender-hearted Hazel had to join in the weeping and wailing because she felt so bad for Oliver. Being so close to home and having no shoulder on that stretch of country highway, the only reasonable choice was to just push through and get the kid home! The last 20 minutes were definitely CRAZY, but that just made us all the more grateful for HOME when we arrived! And really, what's a family weekend adventure without a little vomit?</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-29573159256368192312017-04-09T21:31:00.001-07:002017-04-09T21:31:08.894-07:00New TerritoryOn Monday, we had planned to walk to the park but were derailed by some unexpected snow (OK, unexpected because I hadn't paid any attention to the weather forecast and just expected MOTS) and gusty wind that made the expedition not very Kaleb-friendly, despite my attempts to shelter him in the stroller. So instead, we took a walk around the block to give Oliver and Max a chance to realize that adjusting our plans would be wise. They decided it would be plenty of fun to build a snowman in the yard. the Montana winter was not wasted on these little boys--they showed their independent snowman building skills as they rolled those snowballs across the yard and successfully enjoyed the snowball effect in the wet spring snow.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HhwIX9_KnXTw3U_UxEQ5_GyeRrPHDW5ygkg53_MedG3sDNNBqpnfqjzxaBX46GT6JlWxl1ofp7yW3EzMJoF_1aWOI1IdUVwViFM3MKYVV1SGB-sIDA-276zCuoaUHARpae7CoL9EwtE/s1600/IMG_1764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_HhwIX9_KnXTw3U_UxEQ5_GyeRrPHDW5ygkg53_MedG3sDNNBqpnfqjzxaBX46GT6JlWxl1ofp7yW3EzMJoF_1aWOI1IdUVwViFM3MKYVV1SGB-sIDA-276zCuoaUHARpae7CoL9EwtE/s320/IMG_1764.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Oliver rolled that middle section all by himself. But he had a hard time getting the ball up there because it just kept collapsing every time he grabbed and lifted with those short little arms. After rerolling the midsection a couple times, he was willing to have my help in placing it atop the bottom snowball.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1IfOvvcNFbDTa0ER2SApZjR5qgtUo8NluurOb5qbK0PcAxWADojaPEipsefY_qZprr5x1wpMS-X0h7xbnLDiOQoFH0jaCjKYYztaOIBy-bFRyfCdJhEr0WvaA3sjlGLo3TD3PBhd3Hg/s1600/IMG_1766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1IfOvvcNFbDTa0ER2SApZjR5qgtUo8NluurOb5qbK0PcAxWADojaPEipsefY_qZprr5x1wpMS-X0h7xbnLDiOQoFH0jaCjKYYztaOIBy-bFRyfCdJhEr0WvaA3sjlGLo3TD3PBhd3Hg/s320/IMG_1766.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
In the sun he melted, melted, melted, by the end of the day, but he was fun while he lasted. We enjoyed milder Montana spring days for most of the week. Friday the wind got so crazy gusty it was reminding me of contact adventures in Blackleaf Canyon with Melayna.<br />
<br />
Saturday we decided to drive 80 miles northeast to support Xander in his first track meet in Cut Bank. (His first track meet would have been last Saturday, conveniently at the home track, but Xander chose to participate in General Conference instead of track or going to a big scout Merit Badge college that day. I could see the track meet going on out my bedroom window as I changed diapers during conference.) Not even Aaron had been to that exact bit of Montana, and we enjoyed exploring new territory, even if it was even windier up there and felt a bit like a test of endurance at times.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5K_eWtdj6NoL50NHAIxywbSwKImU0gh7vwUPNP_7ZfvuUwMG4_bHe5cdZ6aTXJSvBgDlsWjdO3AeYPnrGiRv0LzzNwkgkZrLIfDN4VcL0IZDHxW6IiQ0roLytgrHid6_aOl3hzS4KV2c/s1600/IMG_1781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5K_eWtdj6NoL50NHAIxywbSwKImU0gh7vwUPNP_7ZfvuUwMG4_bHe5cdZ6aTXJSvBgDlsWjdO3AeYPnrGiRv0LzzNwkgkZrLIfDN4VcL0IZDHxW6IiQ0roLytgrHid6_aOl3hzS4KV2c/s320/IMG_1781.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Watching a kid in a track meet was also new territory. It's not at all like watching him play hockey or basketball or even tennis, because there are all these different events going on at the same time, and you're constantly asking, "where is Xander?" and looking at this approximate schedule and trying to figure out where they're doing the mini-javelin throwing or triple jump. We had the most fun cheering for him in the 100 meter dash. I think Xander was kinda confused by the whole experience, too, with no coach telling him when to be where. They don't baby these big kids anymore. It was a good out-of-your comfort zone kind of junior high experience for him at times, but he enjoyed it and we were really proud of him for stepping up. We convinced him to come home with us rather than on the Bulldog Bus with the promise of letting him pick any fast food restaurant in Cut Bank, since Choteau has no fast food restaurants unless you count the gas station. I was pretty pleased when he picked Subway over McDonald's or Pizza Hut. We took it to the park for Oliver's benefit--that kid cannot get enough of the great outdoors. When Xander showed Dad how his toe was popping out of his running shoes, Dad suggested taking a significant detour to Great Falls, especially since Elodie hadn't had any luck in finding a suitable Wax Museum costume in Choteau and the deadline was approaching. After a couple thrift stores and just one store in the mall, everyone had what they needed and we hauled a very tired gang back home, arriving just after 7:00! It was a busy but blessed day all together as a family.<br />
<br />The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-9326745018267622822017-03-19T18:21:00.000-07:002017-04-09T20:44:22.247-07:00Moving Day(s)We awoke St. Patrick's Day morning feeling lucky, so after some green smoothie and green yogurt-topped pancakes, we herded the older kids off to school and brought the three little boys to the Choteau Title Office, where we signed our names about a 100 times, handed over a fat check, and POOF, became real homeowners again!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGx-74lX3nx34oPo4YcRwOKeqNHvWiWBbt1bkM4xLWUe8Pfc7Pa1bQ09_L_LYVtFpc1Rutd8Hg-KTOrHCcPneniR6yp44Q0Z3gIRs8Jdrp7nRWyDeH-be4BpXq5N2gELu3VKEPp-yD2L4/s1600/IMG_0341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGx-74lX3nx34oPo4YcRwOKeqNHvWiWBbt1bkM4xLWUe8Pfc7Pa1bQ09_L_LYVtFpc1Rutd8Hg-KTOrHCcPneniR6yp44Q0Z3gIRs8Jdrp7nRWyDeH-be4BpXq5N2gELu3VKEPp-yD2L4/s320/IMG_0341.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We dropped those little boys off at my generous friend's house and started moving in right away. With a huge tarp placed oh-so-carefully atop the livestock residue in another generous friend's horse-trailer, Aaron got right to work and had all of the couches moved over in record time, with just a little physical help from me (and a kind passing stranger) and a lot of really helpful advice from me. I have good ideas. Though some unnamed individual may feel my ideas and communication of said ideas just slow him down when he's in his impressive get-'er-done zone.<br />
<br />
Soon the extremely generous J&C Stott family arrived and we really started to get 'er done. I feel such a debt of gratidude to them; they sacrificed their whole weekend for us--all day Friday and all day Saturday--despite it being their daughter's 17th birthday on the 17th in 2017 and everything. After school, their older kids came over and helped, too. Since Kaleb had spent most of the morning screaming at my friend's house, I was so grateful that their dear birthday girl had the touch with Kaleb! She was such a blessing to me!<br />
<br />
Speaking of after school, that was probably the craziest part of the day. Xander came home to the old house, and was under the impression that his sisters were right behind him. But they weren't. I waited and wondered. And called. But Aaron, being in get-er-done mode, wasn't answering his phone to let me know if they had come home to the new house. When there was still no sign of them and it was nearly time for Elodie to go to piano lessons, I hopped on my bike and zoomed the five blocks to the new house, where I found both girls' bikes and eventually the girls themselves. With all the back and forth we were doing with loads of stuff, this scenario played out several times. Having two homes may seem luxurious, but when they are within easy walking distance even for young children, it gets very confusing very quickly! When the generous horse-trailer loaning friend dropped pizzas off at the old house for dinner, we rounded everyone up at that house and headed over to the new house, which required some people walking on foot and being carried in arms since car seats and strollers were at the other house, and others driving to get another load of stuff over. But by the time we got to the new house, Aaron and the guys had already left to get another load from the old house; I think it took an hour to get everyone gathered for dinner! Hectic!<br />
<br />
As we finally sat and stood on the back deck of our NEW HOUSE eating pizza, I was quite impressed with everything we had already accomplished--most of my kitchen stuff was not only moved, but also put away and organized in its new and improved cabinetry.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2viOvFthOAewQyBGZAunjIhnFcqr1jx0g60DGfcKzju4usKtPlS3IE1hHhixbPiRmpxFHVvXLQQCOe8KsoeVcwxq52jj5S8dFOdDf0UL9u5N81v9Y-rg4fTNcfOfXgo_x-Xxs5wAB7DE/s1600/IMG_1701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2viOvFthOAewQyBGZAunjIhnFcqr1jx0g60DGfcKzju4usKtPlS3IE1hHhixbPiRmpxFHVvXLQQCOe8KsoeVcwxq52jj5S8dFOdDf0UL9u5N81v9Y-rg4fTNcfOfXgo_x-Xxs5wAB7DE/s400/IMG_1701.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Aaron even managed find enough energy past bedtime to get mattresses in place to satisfy everyone's wish of sleeping in the new house that very night! And, miraculously, Oliver did an amazing job of staying in his new big boy bed for the first night ever. Lots of change and he handled it without a bump. (Saturday night was a different story. In our exhaustion of trying to finish up a few last things to get the house ready for Sunday, I got to tuck the little cutie in 5 times and Aaron 3. I guess we both needed a little test of patience that night. I actually had to excuse myself at one point when I had gotten so desperate I was begging. I told Oliver I'd be right back, I just needed to go upstairs to eat some dinner--it was 9ish and I'd only had a few canned mandarin orange slices that I'd found in the old house fridge around dinner time--to help refuel my patience.)<br />
<br />
This was my biggest St. Patrick's day surprise.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjrqPFwUp21F2btJHd-ITEODH99qUROYp-ixLhGlHjE746byp-OQCA81OaGn1ZmGY5m0x6nHhnOP9rlcuwz-xPV1E0M9vQRBZz6CgHuMTMoYk_YrlYhUrCYLEw5KsOOxq8gYaHgTsrrQ/s1600/IMG_1790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjrqPFwUp21F2btJHd-ITEODH99qUROYp-ixLhGlHjE746byp-OQCA81OaGn1ZmGY5m0x6nHhnOP9rlcuwz-xPV1E0M9vQRBZz6CgHuMTMoYk_YrlYhUrCYLEw5KsOOxq8gYaHgTsrrQ/s320/IMG_1790.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Green. Bright green. My master bedroom has two vibrant green walls. the shocking part was not as much their color as the fact that I did not notice this color the 3 times I had come and looked at the house! How could I miss such a not subtle color?? I just thought the whole room was this fun, pretty shade of blue.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2PLt-X-8eHlL9B0ADSldqf83fhSx_dno3FU9O72743JqkjsBAZLDlEWi3RXNr2iF5mErU7UWAPtEhINd21TzRl4ecoVz-AOSMgFL6s6YF5HM-Fpm3GKaR7CkQ2GbVUHOBhcSxHyosFo/s1600/IMG_1792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga2PLt-X-8eHlL9B0ADSldqf83fhSx_dno3FU9O72743JqkjsBAZLDlEWi3RXNr2iF5mErU7UWAPtEhINd21TzRl4ecoVz-AOSMgFL6s6YF5HM-Fpm3GKaR7CkQ2GbVUHOBhcSxHyosFo/s320/IMG_1792.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Apparently, I am not the most observant kid on the block. But I think I'll learn to like the vibrant colors. (I'm definitely not the most eager-to-paint kid on the block. Y'all can have your HGTV reno plans and projects, I'm just happy to have a move-in ready house at this busy stage of life!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtgl3RWBhf1XwaAS8nrerQ-lVrvXHxUaWwH0XL9HLEsXQkiyRM5Kwo76JIpSEpIlhECUED5vMfHVC-Tb0g_bE2ht2h3mmtLlbgoPFjX3DMF7vmCMDqyPhEhkFo1NWMNM_6ntMsvOG_bI/s1600/IMG_1791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMtgl3RWBhf1XwaAS8nrerQ-lVrvXHxUaWwH0XL9HLEsXQkiyRM5Kwo76JIpSEpIlhECUED5vMfHVC-Tb0g_bE2ht2h3mmtLlbgoPFjX3DMF7vmCMDqyPhEhkFo1NWMNM_6ntMsvOG_bI/s320/IMG_1791.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Today, I was just so thankful for some generous friends who had invited us over to their house for a delicious dinner and pleasant company! It was a peaceful, rejuvenating way to spend the Sabbath!<br />
<br />The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-69521025244137558672017-03-12T16:08:00.000-07:002017-03-12T16:08:01.442-07:00Count down to closeI truly am grateful that we found this little rental house in Choteau when we needed it. Really, I am. It is conveniently located and has technically fit all of us and all of our stuff, which no other rental we saw could have done. Yet, I admit, I am eager to move on. Many of you reading this may have come to take certain luxuries for granted. Perhaps soon, I'll forget they are luxuries and be tempted to take them for granted as well. So now I document them lest I forget.<br />
<br />
When I stand in front of a sinkful of old dirty dishes, or find myself trying to cheerfully motivate a child to face the mountain of dishes, or attempt to wash dishes with a baby on the hip, or even look at a "clean" kitchen with a huge heap of clean dishes spilling out of the dish drainer and across the counter to dry, I get so excited about having a dishwasher again!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9z0Oal_tNe9YD0Mw-R6sgAxQKf7JnMNEQOlYw_mtwZtiVz5iETyKK9v9SNvWHnlNBSjLVhcV3vpkQDjhsWyZBskRm7CDc71tf14vhOhmvZgQLjWLryuT6HDRnpWFDQMo73xMxGhF_R0/s1600/kitchen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu9z0Oal_tNe9YD0Mw-R6sgAxQKf7JnMNEQOlYw_mtwZtiVz5iETyKK9v9SNvWHnlNBSjLVhcV3vpkQDjhsWyZBskRm7CDc71tf14vhOhmvZgQLjWLryuT6HDRnpWFDQMo73xMxGhF_R0/s320/kitchen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
When I step on the sharks and boats in the bathtub as I shower, I get so exciting for having a master bathroom all to ourselves, with our very own shower! Talk about luxury!<br />
<br />
When I am vigilantly following Oliver around the front yard (since the back yard is barely existent) to keep him out of the puddles just off the sidewalk in the busy highway, I am so excited for a fenced yard on a quiet street at the edge of town.<br />
<br />
When I trudge out into the snow, back and forth between the house and the car with the little boys and the groceries, I get so excited for the ease of an attached garage!<br />
<br />
When we're all sitting at the dinner table and I realize I forgot the salad dressing, so I ask Hazel and Max to move so I can open the fridge, or Elodie literally climbs over Oliver to get to the sink to get herself some water, or we invite company over and squeeze them around the table, I get so excited to have plenty of space for our family and friends to not only fit around the kitchen table, but to comfortably get in and out of our seats.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxyHZOgDi60Cb-gsjPkZZO6MzunKSsahjXpVS5_B3jAXZ68z2Lh5-blmcX7S8pDwqWPBF39OseNo8dXQ56d-h7V2Ymxh2yjLqOF3OJqR5Ao4TRJqY755RvVcVYo6G042RRmhFSUwDYYU/s1600/dining+area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxyHZOgDi60Cb-gsjPkZZO6MzunKSsahjXpVS5_B3jAXZ68z2Lh5-blmcX7S8pDwqWPBF39OseNo8dXQ56d-h7V2Ymxh2yjLqOF3OJqR5Ao4TRJqY755RvVcVYo6G042RRmhFSUwDYYU/s1600/dining+area.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
When Xander is getting upset with a younger brother, AGAIN, for destroying some irresistibly amazing Lego creation while he was at school, I get so excited for Xander to have his own bedroom, with an actual door!<br />
<br />
When Kaleb wakes up in the middle of the night and I really think he doesn't need to eat, and would probably just fall back asleep if I let him fuss for a few minutes, but then one of his dear roommates, Hazel or Elodie, comes in to beg me to just please get him and feed him so they can SLEEP, I am grateful that in the new house, he can sleep in the office and have his "own room" with a door!<br />
<br />
When I trip over coats, backpacks, and shoes as I'm trying to walk downstairs to the basement, or hear Max ask me why I put his boots in the freezing room again (our truly arctic entryway), I get so excited for a spacious, heated mudroom!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLbp3oITwvw0z68md6MzMVsu72bzpp29tr8AuCwGLAMz7r373gTq_ztw0ytWN_DY3xZFYbxLJ2j6JafF6mt6-zIh-mVHlMy82kUrhNIFIaY64V0t3_HHopX_VRiqoRZqd60k-YY3Ohn4/s1600/mud+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLbp3oITwvw0z68md6MzMVsu72bzpp29tr8AuCwGLAMz7r373gTq_ztw0ytWN_DY3xZFYbxLJ2j6JafF6mt6-zIh-mVHlMy82kUrhNIFIaY64V0t3_HHopX_VRiqoRZqd60k-YY3Ohn4/s320/mud+room.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
When I wedge myself into the little closet-sized laundry room to stuff the clothes into the dryer, I get so excited for a beautiful, custom, well-designed laundry room.<br />
<br />
When I walk into my bedroom and it's covered with a heap of partially folded laundry, again, I get so excited for the simple laundry basket shelf in the new house that will help me to prevent the mountain from ever forming in the master bedroom.<br />
<br />
When I bump into the exercise bike squeezed into our bedroom, I get so excited for the basement family room with ample room for a little spin bike.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, I'm counting down the days. Five. Yes, 5 days until closing and moving day!The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-70017919782820406102017-03-10T14:42:00.000-08:002017-03-12T15:04:37.152-07:007 is 7My 7th baby is 7 months old! And he happens to weigh 17 lbs 7 oz.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTwBt8CQX5m8pMZC1b2VCkmsjoGVdblLIBoZdEZsCBVSxyZBLGPnhzGS_SZD7RZl4KAI2azSreqit8UaXK63kavukBjCoTDTq6zzXwXZ7gJ196Ql9YTfuoiqL9QJBNOcwwrQyl7V6XEQ/s1600/IMG_1581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTwBt8CQX5m8pMZC1b2VCkmsjoGVdblLIBoZdEZsCBVSxyZBLGPnhzGS_SZD7RZl4KAI2azSreqit8UaXK63kavukBjCoTDTq6zzXwXZ7gJ196Ql9YTfuoiqL9QJBNOcwwrQyl7V6XEQ/s320/IMG_1581.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
He is a delightful baby who uses his charm to get plenty of attention. There phrases are oft repeated in our home: "He is just so cute! Kaleb is such a sweetie! He is adorable! Ah, look at Kaleb, he is so CUTE! Listen to how I can make him laugh!"<br />
<br />
Just in the last week, he learned how to intentionally, frequently roll over. Fun and exciting, but sad to say goodbye to the stays-where-you-put-him phase. He can now roll himself right into trouble, bumping his sweet head on furniture and getting stuck in awkward places. He can sit up for brief periods of time all by his growing self, but he quickly tips over. Soon he'll master that milestone too and really earn the title of independent sitter.<br />
<br />
As far as sleeping goes, I'll just say that I had a lot more success with wise sleep principles back when the baby had the luxury of having his own room and there was no crying domino effect. Those nights when he does sleep all the way through, I am amazed by how refreshed I feel in the morning! When I've been pacing the dark house and catch myself wondering, "why won't you just sleep?!" I snuggle his darling little body and feel a surge of gratitude, peace, refreshment, and love. Such tender moments.<br />
<br />
What a precious stage.The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-50088400650620488352017-03-02T14:29:00.000-08:002017-03-05T14:30:20.795-08:00Spice of LifeKaleb loved the Thai Curry. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2gGltFlqzs61jL4UIiNXs46LI1K3AVTZXAmhOreI0TbvP0svlzB0hW1SDTVuHyxuPVSAtq8k-thgS5S8ioAywfoxfXHci5LD0MOqKuVeh93Yc0120HA7uediBlJZDPV4UiteMUkE0y8/s1600/IMG_1545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2gGltFlqzs61jL4UIiNXs46LI1K3AVTZXAmhOreI0TbvP0svlzB0hW1SDTVuHyxuPVSAtq8k-thgS5S8ioAywfoxfXHci5LD0MOqKuVeh93Yc0120HA7uediBlJZDPV4UiteMUkE0y8/s320/IMG_1545.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
Max, Oliver, and even Hazel thought it was too spicy--it is a real Thai import after all. Yet Kaleb lapped it up. Atta boy, Kaleb. Way to make your mama proud.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvrc7-p3Ch-6v3eoWLgJmeT70IVLSQXF_YoICFeh32yZ3KqeJXo0aSQymooqszxZSVZAYCCVdfUZ38Fr17YsaUJ09SyaDPeVjha9CMYaf19ox-hDSxySmmTsM-bGzvBnuS7j154r1hPw/s1600/IMG_1541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvrc7-p3Ch-6v3eoWLgJmeT70IVLSQXF_YoICFeh32yZ3KqeJXo0aSQymooqszxZSVZAYCCVdfUZ38Fr17YsaUJ09SyaDPeVjha9CMYaf19ox-hDSxySmmTsM-bGzvBnuS7j154r1hPw/s320/IMG_1541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-89548870027596773332017-02-26T21:03:00.001-08:002017-02-26T21:03:22.841-08:00Dear, Delightful DaughterThanks to our sweet little kindergartner, Hazel, Family Home Evening was an absolute delight this week. She loves to write and do projects and plan ahead and make up games and be in charge. She had a simple assignment, scripture, which most of us just kind of look up and read last minute when it's our turn. But she remembered that responsibility as soon as she woke up Monday morning and asked for helping in looking up the primary scripture of the month, with paper and pen in hand, ready to copy the verse down. To help us memorize it, she recopied the whole verse onto her white board easel.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiQdwgtyE3o0eno8PyKhKajNpj5XlRuYTxWkg0tTcwk9aP8ODyimxSbyyI8eCOgFSXYPxCgFR1_M7RrnZ4XCkNHLwB2DaekSr-pkjML6Ib2XmX1TcUmDU1QG5IcgswAA3W2KKaRJ2vEI/s1600/IMG_0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggiQdwgtyE3o0eno8PyKhKajNpj5XlRuYTxWkg0tTcwk9aP8ODyimxSbyyI8eCOgFSXYPxCgFR1_M7RrnZ4XCkNHLwB2DaekSr-pkjML6Ib2XmX1TcUmDU1QG5IcgswAA3W2KKaRJ2vEI/s400/IMG_0320.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Then she gave each of us a turn to erase a word or two, lavishing us with not only verbal words of encouragement and praise for erasing well-done, but also presenting each of us with a badge that she had made beforehand. I had no idea that she had put all of this preparation into it, and she was just so delighted to see it all come together as she carried it out and the whole family actually followed her every direction. These little reward "stickers" were cut, pasted, and even had little rolled up masking tape bits all prepared on the backs, with messages like, "Good Good" and "Good Jobe Good." Dad thought the badges were best displayed on the forehead, and that stuck (pun intended), so we were all reciting Mosiah 2:22 with little paper words of affirmation taped to our foreheads. Sweet moments!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBmuQ2bcnFahDdqzPZioxxWv8iykWlGa58wEsOgxU0r26yB1Ka9fD0W63ODukvutSTM0_GI0JB9BS5sXOo-ltGl8xtndzbMJiaet7q_1Fe-p_NJQcY42R934IQ_GDhNr7_Az8AEhW2ng/s1600/IMG_0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBmuQ2bcnFahDdqzPZioxxWv8iykWlGa58wEsOgxU0r26yB1Ka9fD0W63ODukvutSTM0_GI0JB9BS5sXOo-ltGl8xtndzbMJiaet7q_1Fe-p_NJQcY42R934IQ_GDhNr7_Az8AEhW2ng/s400/IMG_0319.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Last week when we went on a walk through the spring-melt puddles, Hazel was super lucky and found a whole dollar on the sidewalk! I asked her if she thought we could find out who it belonged to, and since we couldn't think of a way, I told her she could keep it. Later, I found this heavily-taped, homemade, handwritten envelope that said, "To: Mom and Dad." When she presented it to me, I discovered her dollar and all of Max's money in it (a quarter and a nickel). I humbly asked why they were giving all of their money to me, and they said it was to help buy our new house because they knew it cost a lot of money. I was so touched by their generosity and selfless examples! It is truly no wonder that Jesus taught that we must become as little children to enter his kingdom.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOuL1u3ohXLVx163ie7SN39405Gfoi31TUYBwHuADWKrYdZxcKDZUanN9MMOIjdne0EhpcTzxNl0JtYiG9hmVEcHmrBedi7Dl9fxtqIAUvBMCX7hM-WZ9QgNp-FFkjn-IYFVQtPlX8jI/s1600/IMG_1304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilOuL1u3ohXLVx163ie7SN39405Gfoi31TUYBwHuADWKrYdZxcKDZUanN9MMOIjdne0EhpcTzxNl0JtYiG9hmVEcHmrBedi7Dl9fxtqIAUvBMCX7hM-WZ9QgNp-FFkjn-IYFVQtPlX8jI/s400/IMG_1304.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
Hazel and Max are best buddies. Watching them play and giggle together just melts my heart. When Hazel was not feeling very excited about going to the Saturday morning basketball skills session for K-2 kiddos at the school, remembering how she had gotten hit in the head with the ball twice at the last session and not made a single basket, I was at a loss for how to inspire her to try. I mentioned to her that next year, Max will be able to go with her and maybe she would be able to show him how to dribble, jump stop, and shoot. She perked up at that thought, cheerfully got ready to go, and did her best the whole time. I'm excited for them that they get to have lunch and recess together at school next year--one of the benefits of a little rural school!<br />
<br />
I loved a tiny little note that Hazel gave Max last week. It was two tiny little hearts, decorated with marker and fastened together with excessive amounts of tape, naturally. Written on the back, it said, "To: Max, my BFF From: Hazel." That's all. But did she need to say anything else? These two interact so beautifully together these days, whether Hazel is reading him books,<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXmNeoG5qwasfqL66zXheS2Uau5TkDqPx8bmoVA2SxlVmnz1nhZJ9vTBF_Ww9J3_hp28CM4yXh4jGd1pGY435xz7h2_mpPX4ifAZGfLqHIzmRLrmp5bElUScytvlNfmBP1J6n3lvt-so/s1600/IMG_1484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXmNeoG5qwasfqL66zXheS2Uau5TkDqPx8bmoVA2SxlVmnz1nhZJ9vTBF_Ww9J3_hp28CM4yXh4jGd1pGY435xz7h2_mpPX4ifAZGfLqHIzmRLrmp5bElUScytvlNfmBP1J6n3lvt-so/s400/IMG_1484.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
playing with paper dolls (made by their talented cousins),<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu87UyTFgU-F5nw5gz9P_9YsJrX_Ymqcz6mOfOKu9erxr5QbjrVZ1DoQOlPMv5TzypAxYRsDQee_uOxjat4PJp36MJw3wY55VbGsnhVWZYMFmPU4nyjSh4kDaHn2MMsHFc_uxDJOTafyo/s1600/IMG_1300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu87UyTFgU-F5nw5gz9P_9YsJrX_Ymqcz6mOfOKu9erxr5QbjrVZ1DoQOlPMv5TzypAxYRsDQee_uOxjat4PJp36MJw3wY55VbGsnhVWZYMFmPU4nyjSh4kDaHn2MMsHFc_uxDJOTafyo/s320/IMG_1300.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
or playing dinosaurs, legos, sharks, or some imaginative princess-superhero combo "game." They are oodles of fun at this stage and so I'm treasuring it while it lasts!The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-16203514859683730882017-02-19T16:11:00.000-08:002017-02-19T16:29:18.723-08:00Five in Line's Gotta Fight for What's "Mine!"Oliver loves the kitchen step stool. He is quite convinced that it is HIS stool, one that he occasionally let's his short mom take a turn on to reach the top shelves in the cabinets. IF she asks nicely. That little stool gives him freedom, the ability to be involved in what's going on and to take care of his own needs--how he wants it, when he wants it. It's an independent toddler's dream. Especially for a toddler who seems to dream of becoming a chef. (And hearing a 2-year-old correctly identify that I "need. a spatuwa" when I put a tortilla on the cast iron pan is nearly cuter than I can bear.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUY4ENJHVs8-0rJEygTN_Rpth8NF7V5mNeG9aw0bLn0eZagwm6Mm0zkWFzJFWREDerm6QbhS1PbJ_b4feqpTT5VX_90REYAGwfINQktk2ior-nn9H3R6KGgA9bXHwe7ZAipeyTEOWZQo/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbUY4ENJHVs8-0rJEygTN_Rpth8NF7V5mNeG9aw0bLn0eZagwm6Mm0zkWFzJFWREDerm6QbhS1PbJ_b4feqpTT5VX_90REYAGwfINQktk2ior-nn9H3R6KGgA9bXHwe7ZAipeyTEOWZQo/s400/IMG_1124.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The other day, Oliver pulled the stool to counter, reached my cup, moved the stool to the sink, turned on the faucet, filled the cup with water, climbed down, and put his drink on the stool. Xander walked by, saw the water, and casually took a drink, unaware of who had filled the cup. Oliver told him who was boss, "No! Go take a nap!" He worked hard for that water! It was HIS! A boy's gotta defend his turf with so many siblings around!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WIDcvpSq1nzNpHUMP1bl3ycozpHs4mt73stp6bpxUIschSkzo7nRIotm5eAp8A0DQXOrwCrFXD9028quiQM7xdujZeeGZpfqA1TmPjsY0UqCY7lxZ0IOjyPVpMYZIusWOYFpu6IOsTY/s1600/IMG_1298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2WIDcvpSq1nzNpHUMP1bl3ycozpHs4mt73stp6bpxUIschSkzo7nRIotm5eAp8A0DQXOrwCrFXD9028quiQM7xdujZeeGZpfqA1TmPjsY0UqCY7lxZ0IOjyPVpMYZIusWOYFpu6IOsTY/s400/IMG_1298.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for me and Max, shouting hilarious toddlerisms is not always enough in said turf-defending. Oliver and Max now love the same toys--sharks, trucks, Legos, dinosaurs, airplanes, superheroes, you-name-it--and frequently NEED the exact same one at the exact same time. When emotions were running high a couple weeks ago, Oliver began turning to the teeth, repeatedly, and that was not such a good arrangement for Max. So I figured I'd give him a "use your words" tool for when he was feeling threatened by an insistent Max who was grabbing or otherwise trying to wrangle a toy from his little brother's grasp: a nice, firm "Back off, buddy!" About a week ago, I was happy when Oliver started to shout that at Max rather than going straight for the bite. "Back off. Buddy!" We've held "back off" practice games where we take turns saying, "back off, buddy!" and scooting back and admiring just how far back they scooted, giving so much space to that brother! Wow! I was almost feeling like maybe this was working when Oliver turned it on me and started shouting, "Back off, buddy!" whenever I approach to change a diaper or insist on some other unpleasant task that he is simply not in the mood for. Hmmm. It is so lucky for both of us that he is so crazy cute when he says it!The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-75183328731354011692016-08-21T15:09:00.002-07:002016-08-21T15:09:29.326-07:00Kaleb Daniel arrives on due date!You all know that I'm not good at making a long story short. I'm great at making a short story long, though. So rather than dive into an inevitably lengthy narrative about Kaleb's blessed and timely arrival, I will stick with a timeline.<br />
<br />
<b>July 20:</b> OB appt, baby still breech, schedule External Version for Monday<br />
<b>July 20-25:</b> Pray that baby will turn on his own, perform many awkward poses and stretches to encourage baby to flip to head down position<br />
<b>July 25:</b> Drop all five kids off at the Bishop's house to play with his good family all day, report at hospital in Great Falls with Aaron for the version procedure, discover that the baby is still breech, wait a lot, then endure an intense but brief procedure involving the doctor and nurse pushing really hard on the poor baby, SUCCESS! Like a spring, he feels like he's about to flip right back into the breech position, so Doctor and nurse instruct me to wear a maternity support belt in restrictive fashion atop my uterus to squeeze him in and to stand up and walk for the next three hours, no sitting for the hour drive back to Choteau until 3 hours of gravity and walking help him engage in the head down position. We comply.<br />
<b>August 2:</b> bring the girls to OB appt while Aaron keeps the boys for some guy fun, baby still head down but not fully engaged so keep doing what you're doing (wearing that squeezy band day and night, walking, and praying lots), barely dilated to just over 1 cm<br />
<b>August 9 @ 10am: </b>drop off all 5 kids at my kind visiting teacher's house since Mirien's travel plans were slightly delayed and she was still en route, drive with Aaron to Great Falls for OB appt<br />
<b>11am:</b> appt delayed 3 hours due to my doctor having had her baby the day before and her Midwife fill-in attending a delivery right then<br />
<b>2pm:</b> return to clinic for appt, baby still head down and fully engaged (woohoo, freedom from uncomfortably squeezy band!), membranes stripped, dilated to nearly 3 cm, so we walk around and I eat Jalapenos to see if we can get things going while we're there in Great Falls,<br />
<b>4pm: </b>Walking around Sam's club, contractions are just frequent and noticeable enough to make me wonder if it'll turn into the real thing, but not progressing enough to convince me, so we head back to Choteau<br />
<b>5pm:</b> pick up kids, Xander makes tacos, we tidy up and make beds for our guests<br />
<b>6:45 pm:</b> Mirien and Jillian arrive! Taco Tuesday, get guests settled, enjoy their company, Jillian tucks Hazel & Max in bed, try unsuccessfully to figure our how to watch Olympics via streaming, mild contractions continue<br />
<b>11:23 pm:</b> Go to bed wondering if I'll be able to sleep through these contractions or if they'll progress into active labor<br />
<b>August 10 @ 12:23am</b>: contractions have been consistently every 5 minutes for the last hour, and I haven't been able to sleep through them. Is it because they are more intense or just because my mind can't stop wondering if this means we should head to the hospital soon so we don't cut it too close with a long drive? I get up and print out the shipping label for my first eBay sale ever, package up the Ooma device, and get it all ready to ship, just in case, so I can assure shipping within the required 2 days. Find Hazel's card for Great Grandma Lowe and finally put a stamp on that, too. When distracted, I don't notice and time every contraction, meaning they are pretty mild.<br />
<b>12:50 am</b>: Back to Bed<br />
<b>1:50 am:</b> Contractions have been consistently every 5 minutes for the last hour, and I still haven't been able to sleep through them. I feel like we need to head to the hospital, though I hate to wake Aaron up because the contractions are still so mild. But if I was dilated to a 3 in the early afternoon, and I've been having regular contractions, by the time I get to the hospital in an hour I figure I'll probably be dilated to a 5, so I decide it's a go. I don't want a miserable hour-long drive. I wake Aaron up anyway and tell him it's time. With barely more than a word, he gets our things into the car. I wake Mirien up to tell her we're leaving.<br />
<b>2:02 am:</b> We drive off for the hospital. Contractions are now every 4 minutes, but not uncomfortable. Aaron is exhausted and just drives. I breathe and relax comfortably. The trip feels calm and easy.<br />
<b>3:04 am: </b>We arrive at the hospital. My contractions still feel mild enough that I opt to park the car with Aaron and walk up to the door. I comment that it feels weird to be at the hospital when I'm at such an early, easy stage of labor.<br />
<b>3:27 am:</b> After the initial registration stuff, the nurse checks me declares that I'm dilated to a 3. So disappointed!! I feel like I shouldn't have woken Aaron up for this. He reassures me that I did the right thing. Since we came all the way from Choteau, the burse and midwife come up with a plan: monitor for 30, walk for 60, monitor for 30, check again. If progressed, admit. If not, send home. I can hardly describe how disappointed and deflated I felt. I mustered my courage and faith and prayed for help in moving past the negative woulda-coulda-shoulda thoughts. I feel reassured that it will all work out and I trust.<br />
<b>3:47 am:</b> The monitor shows I'm having contractions every 2-3 minutes, so the nurse has me get up to walk the hall of the Labor and delivery unit. We walk around and around and around the loop, pausing to breathe and squat and maximize every contraction. I finally convince my poor husband that he doesn't need to wear himself out by walking with me--I'll need his strength later! He goes to rest on the chair in the triage room. I keep walking, thinking about how I had been hoping that once I was in the security of the hospital, I would actually be able to relax enough to catch a little bit of sleep. Nope, I'm walking and walking and so so tired after not a minute of sleep all night. The hallway is about 2 minutes long at my pace, and I stop at nearly the same place each loop to breathe and maximize each contraction while praying very fervently for the Lord to bless my labor to progress so I won't have to go home and wonder more and more about when to come back. I feel the contractions increasing in intensity and feel so grateful.<br />
<b>5ish am: </b>the triage nurse finishes with another laboring mom who came in and brings me back to the monitor from the halls.<br />
<b>5:15ish am:</b> The tocometer shows that my contractions have increased in intensity and are about 2 minutes apart, so she checks me. I'm dilated to a 5-6! Hooray! Prayers answered! Admitted to a L&D room.<br />
<b>6ish am:</b> The Midwife arrives and checks me. I'm dilated to an 8. She offers to break my bulging bag of waters. For some reason, in my exhausted state of mind, I was still enjoying the breaks between contractions too much and didn't feel ready to leap ahead to the increased intensity that I feel after my water is broken. I figure I can break it on my own when I push after being fully dilated. Aaron continues being the amazing, wonderful, encouraging support that he is during intensifying labor. I love that man!<br />
<b>6:20ish am:</b> Contractions have gotten much more intense and I'm wishing I had let the midwife break my water. We call for the nurse and ask for the midwife to come back. She's stepped away, downstairs eating breakfast. Too bad for me, but she did look completely exhausted when I saw her, she definitely needed some fuel. Nurse checks me, dilated to 8-9. I try to push during a contraction, though I don't have the urge, just to see if I can break that water and get things moving. Doesn't work. I'm so tired and it feels like it's taking so long. I start begging for Aaron to do something to help me find a comfortable position because nothing is remotely comfortable during contractions!<br />
<b>7:05ish am:</b> Midwife returns, checks me, I'm nearly complete. She breaks my water. Very soon I feel the urge to push and push very exuberantly, remembering the feeling of relief on the other side and craving it. In the intensity, I remember Meredith calling it the ring of fire, I push like I mean it!<br />
<b>7:18 am:</b> Baby boy is born and I feel an amazing flood of awe, relief, disbelief, gratitude, joy, wonder, love, and concern. His complexion is a bit dusky and his face is rather bruised from his rapid descent. Sorry, little guy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCDKACvxKGIVJb2ySKHfZGH2uE84zV9Nmb7eKIdgZ0s2j6-BUjcxfbCE-tU0A9dVyPPuj8_K5yKnV-OMG_duNzNtWAuyX6TigaKER-JWJDJb_AaLrxUD0i-EGREGteFnLHzRAdZ0ONk4/s1600/IMG_5459.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwCDKACvxKGIVJb2ySKHfZGH2uE84zV9Nmb7eKIdgZ0s2j6-BUjcxfbCE-tU0A9dVyPPuj8_K5yKnV-OMG_duNzNtWAuyX6TigaKER-JWJDJb_AaLrxUD0i-EGREGteFnLHzRAdZ0ONk4/s320/IMG_5459.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>7:30ish am: </b>The baby nurse takes him over to the warmer to suction him some more and give him some blow-by Oxygen to get him to pink up. His initial Apgar scores are a bit low, but he responds well to the nurses efforts and scores fine after about 30 minutes. While they're taking care of our sweet, miraculous baby boy, I rest and realize that while my exhaustion made it feel like it was taking a long time, it was actually only about 4 hours since we got to the hospital and I was only dilated to a 3. Amazing. Intense gratitude. <b>7:48 am: </b>Weighed in at 8lbs 9oz, 22inches long--also thankful that he didn't follow the previous pattern of each successive child being larger than the previous one. Oliver was 9lbs 4 oz!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-bAMn1MtwTqsXGS0nHLQKXdaCdGx48Z-G4vTjUswqtadIFjcYd3FRk-4hQSK4rTu-JYauWJucPbhBqXL27vuOgoS9xBhUbc_q4gWf1rtv2YW4yWc-vZn989aYYcipl3ZfUC1HbqrhFY/s1600/IMG_5460.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-bAMn1MtwTqsXGS0nHLQKXdaCdGx48Z-G4vTjUswqtadIFjcYd3FRk-4hQSK4rTu-JYauWJucPbhBqXL27vuOgoS9xBhUbc_q4gWf1rtv2YW4yWc-vZn989aYYcipl3ZfUC1HbqrhFY/s320/IMG_5460.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>6ish pm: </b>Over our celebration dinner in the hospital, complete with Sparkling cider, Aaron and I finally decided on a name for the little sweetie: Kaleb Daniel Dahle.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqAGaWAMAWuXczOygvhielway2T8sMY20knjyHcWofQIlCZSPGcXOTdn5bpC9ZM2AX0RhvJq7lY7QBIyn3FlcDyW6hkgjujwvNwPTH4zcAFnxBwJz4BksjKzSiWiY1jQHnYuQa3pJ8lg/s1600/IMG_5470.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGqAGaWAMAWuXczOygvhielway2T8sMY20knjyHcWofQIlCZSPGcXOTdn5bpC9ZM2AX0RhvJq7lY7QBIyn3FlcDyW6hkgjujwvNwPTH4zcAFnxBwJz4BksjKzSiWiY1jQHnYuQa3pJ8lg/s320/IMG_5470.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Then we just enjoyed the baby honeymoon in the hospital and tried to recover from the sleepless night, relishing the feelings of gratitude and wonder as we cuddled our sweet little Kaleb. How wonderful that I was able to travel to the hospital in the comfortable condition of early labor and still hold my baby in my arms just over 4 hours later! Such a tender mercy from the Lord in the timing of it all! He answered the prayer I've been offering ever since we decided to move to Choteau, with the OB care an hour away, that I would know that it was time to go to the hospital in time to get there comfortably. It just amazes me how fully he answered my specific prayer. I knew it was time to go.<br />
<br />
Mirien had just arrived 7 hours before, so I could leave with the reassurance that my 5 kids were well-taken care of at home. She could only stay for just under a week, so this timing maximized her ability to help when we need it. My mom had wanted to come help, but the baby was due the week they needed to report for their mission, so she had delegated helping to Mirien. With her busy family, she also didn't have huge flexibility in the timing of her visit, so the Lord blessed her for her willingness and me for my parent's willingness to answer the call of a mission and made the timing just perfect.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWhQkLSPZVp4ZjgxCwDMEwEHSCBwT9Xcxre2OJvC9neM7b3IsTBOe5MBQhDwhEgSbUJxZmqm_YDa8l7zAhhXyABtDl4CAhG3pjyCS_yhjCmsF7APNkqCBjei4CSiBxAmo6thA9aLQeXA/s1600/IMG_5477.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzWhQkLSPZVp4ZjgxCwDMEwEHSCBwT9Xcxre2OJvC9neM7b3IsTBOe5MBQhDwhEgSbUJxZmqm_YDa8l7zAhhXyABtDl4CAhG3pjyCS_yhjCmsF7APNkqCBjei4CSiBxAmo6thA9aLQeXA/s320/IMG_5477.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Further, I was blessed to have the sweet baby stay head down for optimal delivery and recovery. I did not have to have a C-section and the more difficult recovery, so it was fine that Mirien could just stay for a couple days after we got home from the hospital, because my recovery has been so easy.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuo7BomdJRwuQ1QjT2LRpujOckch9B5jihs-8-5rWEC0f08tmWRGv9CF-iKUxC-5PnXcD8-s41y0qF-FwYW7ZvYg_5kuOb2Wl1_IqFPwXJAOMAYn4hr7hWXJRRR81bypP2J5SkPj-B1c/s1600/IMG_5472.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghuo7BomdJRwuQ1QjT2LRpujOckch9B5jihs-8-5rWEC0f08tmWRGv9CF-iKUxC-5PnXcD8-s41y0qF-FwYW7ZvYg_5kuOb2Wl1_IqFPwXJAOMAYn4hr7hWXJRRR81bypP2J5SkPj-B1c/s320/IMG_5472.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
And of course a huge highlight was seeing the siblings' joy and excitement upon meeting their little brother!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoGbld5BAjviD9bXVAxmhf9RnGbvvfGVyj277CUpuOSjA1g1OUoIVLKpukNLv5Oz083OoYW4GwqIV1jhiAFOv4mrr4yOSFXtnSchKQ72kIvPJVubbakU1knaXc_5XLjmRBG26fS_cjpU/s1600/IMG_5482.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoGbld5BAjviD9bXVAxmhf9RnGbvvfGVyj277CUpuOSjA1g1OUoIVLKpukNLv5Oz083OoYW4GwqIV1jhiAFOv4mrr4yOSFXtnSchKQ72kIvPJVubbakU1knaXc_5XLjmRBG26fS_cjpU/s320/IMG_5482.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
When we got married, Aaron and I discussed that we wanted 7 kids. We figured it would be great to have 7 kids in 10 years. According to the Lord's will and timing, of course. Our 7th was just born and Xander is 11, so pretty close. 7 kids eternally, 6 to raise. Wow. Amazing that we're to this point. We will just see what the Lord has in store for our family in the years to come.The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-33561470770298398732016-08-07T10:51:00.000-07:002016-08-21T11:33:23.766-07:00One Shoe and and One Shoe OffAaron was off in Helena fulfilling his National Guard Duty to country. While it's a bit close to my due date to feel totally comfortable having him 2 hours away, we felt fine about it and had a loose "meet at the hospital" plan, which would have required some serious begging for help on my part, in place just in case. Aaron had the Beast with him so he could camp in it rather than spend moolah on a hotel, so Xander and Elodie were planning to bike to church since we wouldn't all fit in Little Red. Seeing as how I really want to do what I can to get labor going in its own good time, I decided to put the other kids in the stroller and walk to Church. It was a lovely, cool morning after a rainstorm, and I was excited to enjoy it.<br />
<br />
We were actually doing really well at getting everyone ready early enough to walk and arrive on time. We had a girls' night Saturday evening, putting the girls' hair in rags and painting finger- and toenails,<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7HK4EVpYxmmYdcf0hLTQFtNk3HWoG4BU94VMNsjZe-XEaWF_yJi6srMgyut4-sQosyuHUwmpUJmi9EeruRo725XMRQBIDS4uuy1xrSBxizk_12QhBRAqnS3tC4BkZRitcJ9KY026qYk/s1600/IMG_5451.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb7HK4EVpYxmmYdcf0hLTQFtNk3HWoG4BU94VMNsjZe-XEaWF_yJi6srMgyut4-sQosyuHUwmpUJmi9EeruRo725XMRQBIDS4uuy1xrSBxizk_12QhBRAqnS3tC4BkZRitcJ9KY026qYk/s320/IMG_5451.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
and we had even made time to undo the rags and kinda fix the girls' crazy, unevenly curly hair.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRyXPwyVoX_7gNhNDSGJg-KrxbW3bqHjlitxzXvfFRYqKUbmylbpBoIqhNHTtM3GC0D2_6Y6SJHe8dILCzMGTzqFVasnd_kbDdtROuhT1_yMDPQxD588G0oumOF-ErXVHL2r3UG6LkVk/s1600/IMG_5452.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZRyXPwyVoX_7gNhNDSGJg-KrxbW3bqHjlitxzXvfFRYqKUbmylbpBoIqhNHTtM3GC0D2_6Y6SJHe8dILCzMGTzqFVasnd_kbDdtROuhT1_yMDPQxD588G0oumOF-ErXVHL2r3UG6LkVk/s400/IMG_5452.JPG" width="278" /></a><br />
<br />
I was feeling pretty good as we were gathering our stuff and heading out the door at 8:23, even if my big blue dress was tight around my middle this week. I put on my supportive, neon-salmon tennis shoes for the walk due to my terrible third-trimester tripping and twisting tendency<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8jALiA15-6Pm8r1sN6dV1-DD7-gDAMf6vKDAi1HZE6Pw0Lm7z2A0tC0ZtfxNhNOl7AdBtv8qT07Zt18b3i8yUPQDxsuWLDr4u6ahpMC2dVTFKf5my47lU4A2AVLMXY8PP4o6TWBv6kY/s1600/IMG_5453.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8jALiA15-6Pm8r1sN6dV1-DD7-gDAMf6vKDAi1HZE6Pw0Lm7z2A0tC0ZtfxNhNOl7AdBtv8qT07Zt18b3i8yUPQDxsuWLDr4u6ahpMC2dVTFKf5my47lU4A2AVLMXY8PP4o6TWBv6kY/s320/IMG_5453.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
and begged Xander, Elodie, and even Max to help Hazel find her other sandal. Well that sandal was good and lost and NO ONE could find it. Hazel sat with one sandal on and one sandal off, passionately declaring that she might as well NOT got to church because she couldn't find her other sandal and she did NOT want to wear her white Sunday shoes because then no one would be able to see her pretty toenails!! Tragic.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuDMaVNFOsI6K1L1e98H5KuD8SDpDVPBHZI3FgQk1VQQd0gRMT_oJWvAyUpD9UE26otDl2ikEQnv2rVqI06FHjfnGcCw1ktBsySNEQVO-UdaHGxfu4eb02zWGE4u_FCxxmMGBQUYBcGs/s1600/IMG_5455.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuDMaVNFOsI6K1L1e98H5KuD8SDpDVPBHZI3FgQk1VQQd0gRMT_oJWvAyUpD9UE26otDl2ikEQnv2rVqI06FHjfnGcCw1ktBsySNEQVO-UdaHGxfu4eb02zWGE4u_FCxxmMGBQUYBcGs/s320/IMG_5455.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
I tried reasoning briefly, I tried searching, but both to no avail. She stormed outside, still with one bare foot, and refused to get in the stroller and continued her expressive rant. She still really wanted to ride Max's bike, despite her footwear issues. I grabbed her matching Sunday shoes and ruffled socks, in addition to my own Sunday sandals to change into upon arrival and we tried to head out. At this point, I wondered if we should just drive since we now had under 20 minutes to make it, but the little boys were both already happily sitting in the stroller, ready to go, so we stuck with the walking plan and headed off. Hazel had angrily thrown the one sandal into the garage and was walking down the gravel alley barefoot, weeping and wailing, as I tried to coax her to just squish in with her brothers in the stroller. Oh what a spectacle we were! Eventually the sharp rocks convinced her to climb into the stroller, and I calmly told her that I had her shoes and socks when she was ready for them. About halfway to church, she had calmed down and told me she was ready to put her shoes on. She is such a sweetie--she comes around to reason just fine when she's given her own time to do it rather than feeling forced by someone else's timetable. Unfortunately, time constraints are real and it was 8:59 when we were walking up the hill in the Church parking lot. We made it to the door right at 9:00, but I still had to get the kids out and change my shoes. My shoes, my sandals, plural. But where was the other one? I searched under and around all of the scripture bags in the stroller storage compartment, and verily, verily, I say unto you, there was but one sandal in the midst of it. One of them must ahve fallen out unnoticed on the walk there. (Yep, Xander and Elodie found it near the school on their ride home from Church.) What? Really? I only have one sandal to wear?!?! Oh the irony! It was so funny I couldn't help but explain to the kind sisters who were holding the door open for me and trying to help me get all my stuff and corral my three little kids inside. I had a quick choice to make--I could follow Hazel's initial attempt and just wear one sandal with one foot bare, I could walk in to Church completely barefoot and pregnant, or I could wear two vibrant tennis shoes.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0eZlyZJFS5526rLqhx2xR-UsuQHDbUeweO7eAZP2isn2r5ir-w9KiC5mzvu2y9drA__56bgFw2BnwJdBeUqmW-xfPmyEWTr_t9C6rPc0A3bs8TJjCOwJOvoDdp5__GKm99c18wWsfsG0/s1600/IMG_5454.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0eZlyZJFS5526rLqhx2xR-UsuQHDbUeweO7eAZP2isn2r5ir-w9KiC5mzvu2y9drA__56bgFw2BnwJdBeUqmW-xfPmyEWTr_t9C6rPc0A3bs8TJjCOwJOvoDdp5__GKm99c18wWsfsG0/s320/IMG_5454.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Yep, the tennis shoes won out and we paraded in to sacrament meeting late, right up into the third pew that Xander and Elodie had saved for us when they arrived on time after their uneventful bike ride. Spectacle much? Like I don't get enough attention just "still being here" this hugely pregnant.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJqoDG0qGYZkjH8mEUFPT4DC8fRhQ4Dv0d19M78MI5uSrdkvwmgrwH2si0sEQMQsozzHhByN5jx8fC4P7Gj3LBeH7l2TGbKCi8eefV6-obI-GhI-58ohMEwpQGvPtf9m18hcvmVzBn8I/s1600/IMG_5456.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJqoDG0qGYZkjH8mEUFPT4DC8fRhQ4Dv0d19M78MI5uSrdkvwmgrwH2si0sEQMQsozzHhByN5jx8fC4P7Gj3LBeH7l2TGbKCi8eefV6-obI-GhI-58ohMEwpQGvPtf9m18hcvmVzBn8I/s640/IMG_5456.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
I must say that this only served to intensify my desire to not have to wear this big blue maternity dress to Church next week! Oh please let this baby come this week!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-2915227820660303052016-07-25T21:07:00.000-07:002016-07-25T21:07:27.870-07:00Feeling AdventurousI'd say that camping at a day shy of 37 weeks pregnant up in the mountains of the Louis and Clark Wilderness with 5 young kids counts as adventurous. Aaron has a great work schedule up here, with a day or two off during the week, so we took advantage of that and headed out right after work on Monday. <div>
<br /><div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjsdlje6QepzXh4eKXlp-VO3ZaN0FmzQ0889bteoY_PSdQ-eoTnbxErO1cMrUQPWbKH9g4xlRqqRqRwCcLAN4iqBDcMu-hOFIc25QF65ZttKmKd4Qw19_hf8mY2MLUfP5W-KfMll0eJM/s1600/IMG_5388.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQjsdlje6QepzXh4eKXlp-VO3ZaN0FmzQ0889bteoY_PSdQ-eoTnbxErO1cMrUQPWbKH9g4xlRqqRqRwCcLAN4iqBDcMu-hOFIc25QF65ZttKmKd4Qw19_hf8mY2MLUfP5W-KfMll0eJM/s320/IMG_5388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After driving about 40 minutes into the mountains on a bumpy, windy gravel road, which road was about a 25 minute drive from our little rural town, we were feeling pretty far out into the wilderness. The area had been burned by a forest fire about 9 years ago, opening up a great long-distance view. The wildflowers and undergrowth were beautiful. We were excited to discover that we're far enough north for fireweed to grow--one of our favorite Alaskan flowers!</div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipA9ns0F2lzJdcqG4KP2Q60Afajw5lCUdIJXjYY8Q4PWF8Rvu4m5xVQZk8NDxhVK0RFwUWhCT1fhcgwAJzEw3TGY3FvaxWlD1Lo3pQnKlI4G_iYn8V0s8Wy0lk67yQsqnqO4QMf0L9CjU/s1600/IMG_5403.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipA9ns0F2lzJdcqG4KP2Q60Afajw5lCUdIJXjYY8Q4PWF8Rvu4m5xVQZk8NDxhVK0RFwUWhCT1fhcgwAJzEw3TGY3FvaxWlD1Lo3pQnKlI4G_iYn8V0s8Wy0lk67yQsqnqO4QMf0L9CjU/s320/IMG_5403.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Within minutes of arriving, we had blood and screams (thank you, Hazel) that probably made the neighboring campers think something far more tragic than a scraped knee had occurred. Let the craziness begin!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH7FJcxmAJllHNCo80BGTcEc2IEsi82Z3WsUQqIhXk5r3-gTmr0bgloA12U-6SIh3pkcEAa03PZNXk7anwcBmFEj9qlLCXwJVe4rbAOHgGVvUyPSebidprb7Ao23xIcAodkpL3RFF5cc/s1600/IMG_5380.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH7FJcxmAJllHNCo80BGTcEc2IEsi82Z3WsUQqIhXk5r3-gTmr0bgloA12U-6SIh3pkcEAa03PZNXk7anwcBmFEj9qlLCXwJVe4rbAOHgGVvUyPSebidprb7Ao23xIcAodkpL3RFF5cc/s320/IMG_5380.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Since it doesn't get dark until after 10:00 up this far north, we had plenty of time to set up camp. Aaron went for a tent village arrangement, with 3 tents for our family--a girl tent with an air mattress for me, a little tent that Xander and Elodie set up on their own for Xander and Max, and a tent for Dad and Oliver--instead of one huge tent. It seemed to work quite nicely. Oliver LOVED his first camping trip!</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjJ9awl-D-YzsxI8K6C6lzkk-PGAbXgBJLS5yirCsQ9imSWYFgkrYESYP7w4Njft_UvP5OlxR86PBcZk6t2IMtFdZuDbkIXEuMuOougSuayuzwDAB4PXeuic3YTBPUoU-iR8P-7L0PL8/s1600/IMG_5376.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjJ9awl-D-YzsxI8K6C6lzkk-PGAbXgBJLS5yirCsQ9imSWYFgkrYESYP7w4Njft_UvP5OlxR86PBcZk6t2IMtFdZuDbkIXEuMuOougSuayuzwDAB4PXeuic3YTBPUoU-iR8P-7L0PL8/s320/IMG_5376.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
As it was finally getting dark, we enjoyed singing and sharing scriptures around the campfire, watching the moon rapidly rise above the mountain, and of course, roasting mallows. When Aaron finally put Oliver to bed in his tent, that exhausted little guy just laid right down in that big, cozy sleeping bag, laid his head on his favorite blanket, and went right to sleep, not waking up until morning. We've never had a one-year-old who was such a champion sleeper on a campout before! Everyone slept well and that made the campout SO MUCH more enjoyable! I'm glad we squeezed this little adventure in before a newborn arrives!</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFaRM1jLyAyXX6qhN4dz9taooLL8YgOhVPdQTFe8ymufgZ9KfZdx7xgo5umeIX0g2neNgAjcZeSWThWJNgJqHF7DRgx-7UX6pHA3Y3Qu-MwjwuQyqUxCFtl_GrjlWqo6z0y9jEuHBQQg/s1600/IMG_5385.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFaRM1jLyAyXX6qhN4dz9taooLL8YgOhVPdQTFe8ymufgZ9KfZdx7xgo5umeIX0g2neNgAjcZeSWThWJNgJqHF7DRgx-7UX6pHA3Y3Qu-MwjwuQyqUxCFtl_GrjlWqo6z0y9jEuHBQQg/s320/IMG_5385.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
Aaron made sure I did plenty of relaxing, knowing we were a good 2 hours from a hospital and not wanting things to get too adventurous.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiCAI50KPPvRV7PRs5B9BEdBjdeugjs-y0J16aF5Sbz3STupYxK6pqu92BVoHE9vThk74WxMRtS1ob3ntawmky1dCgTTmkcHG88e-vxcO6wqiPtC2C06uXPfbaMV2N04qz4Oj45OHAqI/s1600/IMG_5381.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiCAI50KPPvRV7PRs5B9BEdBjdeugjs-y0J16aF5Sbz3STupYxK6pqu92BVoHE9vThk74WxMRtS1ob3ntawmky1dCgTTmkcHG88e-vxcO6wqiPtC2C06uXPfbaMV2N04qz4Oj45OHAqI/s320/IMG_5381.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
We decided to hike and explore back where the trees had not been scorched and we soon had several refreshingly wet shoes (or tragically wet, if you happen to be Hazel). Who can resist a bridge made of logs? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQX0pkAFOrKhp1VcXddVhTjmxnj7xrtAoTYL5yDVr9rP-LNGRWJ2kbZhIxqao-IcWGwhoqNZBWEmpY4FolCQqt2d86AL6jvSykQE5RhUVp9gIbyJTAm2-Q8zXWfCbZWsZiorVV3iB1xo/s1600/IMG_5393.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQX0pkAFOrKhp1VcXddVhTjmxnj7xrtAoTYL5yDVr9rP-LNGRWJ2kbZhIxqao-IcWGwhoqNZBWEmpY4FolCQqt2d86AL6jvSykQE5RhUVp9gIbyJTAm2-Q8zXWfCbZWsZiorVV3iB1xo/s320/IMG_5393.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
And how can a kid not slip and get at least one foot in the water? Luckily, Dad found a mama bird in a tree feeding her babies to distract Hazel's mind from her soggy sock. She LOVES babies. That tactic worked far better than my reasonable cajoling.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTyA16bb3bSxXKHYs923Noj6A1dincg9Rh_uKxGTyQt7dsHWWsbuckLV_TvqgfWNS1wf_6qu12gTWEsCJb5ci_OXSKpO8JiUAOVz7Dj_G679ShA-eOZJD7W3fD3PW22sfdBQKW3ebZUc/s1600/IMG_5390.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTyA16bb3bSxXKHYs923Noj6A1dincg9Rh_uKxGTyQt7dsHWWsbuckLV_TvqgfWNS1wf_6qu12gTWEsCJb5ci_OXSKpO8JiUAOVz7Dj_G679ShA-eOZJD7W3fD3PW22sfdBQKW3ebZUc/s320/IMG_5390.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
I love how long kids can enjoy some water, sticks, and stones.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibueQk5t9Egy5prIgieeR191U67srz443Jrpc_PNyjLevfNX0ODP6FIRQjujlu2cNzB1Ce9XcLdWMkrd2u4WRjIURVRNYr-H8_pMnXEySoZMmObUfvPlv0densvxj8D5abCOBa48P16AA/s1600/IMG_5401.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibueQk5t9Egy5prIgieeR191U67srz443Jrpc_PNyjLevfNX0ODP6FIRQjujlu2cNzB1Ce9XcLdWMkrd2u4WRjIURVRNYr-H8_pMnXEySoZMmObUfvPlv0densvxj8D5abCOBa48P16AA/s320/IMG_5401.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
Max was pretty impressed with the evidence of a bear nearby. There was even black bear fur stuck to those claw marks.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PpEDEfkBTRPQu00m-KHB5QdKkoJTNbkoqEZdAv-vVR_DOZbf95F04ck_2xXx-hxmQNS2Q1m5uE2xd18o8ucMNvZ_nWOTGIokbxnht_rJDtozc05Tw-sGrU4TwEpzkYs60MG9V4a3t-o/s1600/IMG_5396.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PpEDEfkBTRPQu00m-KHB5QdKkoJTNbkoqEZdAv-vVR_DOZbf95F04ck_2xXx-hxmQNS2Q1m5uE2xd18o8ucMNvZ_nWOTGIokbxnht_rJDtozc05Tw-sGrU4TwEpzkYs60MG9V4a3t-o/s320/IMG_5396.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
No body wanted to stop exploring, even Oliver who desperately needed a nap by then. He caught a little snooze in the car while the energetic took a short hike.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMvfNRdZK14ccB4A6T2HaDZ_u8EWjgu7J6sSu-mtfS_MtRBJfYN6Bjstm-4_ljlKpxQTVSgTCoOwC6028h1CL-heRX7oTRlgiHEe7aNEPqSOwbOB7-depyVErw4yJL3-HqlYM9EOcbtU/s1600/IMG_5397.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMvfNRdZK14ccB4A6T2HaDZ_u8EWjgu7J6sSu-mtfS_MtRBJfYN6Bjstm-4_ljlKpxQTVSgTCoOwC6028h1CL-heRX7oTRlgiHEe7aNEPqSOwbOB7-depyVErw4yJL3-HqlYM9EOcbtU/s320/IMG_5397.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
On our way down from the mountains, we stopped by Eureka Reservoir to cook one more meal in the great outdoors before heading home. Naturally everyone was soggy and muddy right away. </div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_G1KjjB7AtX1X23nPS2Lr0YGw3tXSwgSpFKrh2n_-zg8QGPGGXVxUpN9R3M3Dv1XLmE5QMNcrBgiozNXfMUmz7O339i6AkAaCTwnMHSIvrQoGz-4kdFQfiY3KQiMzATD4FcsClI-Onc/s1600/IMG_5405.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_G1KjjB7AtX1X23nPS2Lr0YGw3tXSwgSpFKrh2n_-zg8QGPGGXVxUpN9R3M3Dv1XLmE5QMNcrBgiozNXfMUmz7O339i6AkAaCTwnMHSIvrQoGz-4kdFQfiY3KQiMzATD4FcsClI-Onc/s320/IMG_5405.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Good times and great memories. We just love the outdoors!</div>
The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-75422394719807343752016-06-06T10:01:00.000-07:002016-07-18T10:25:51.233-07:00The Next Chapter Begins: Choteau, MontanaI must say, we are all loving life up here in Choteau, Montana. It's a great little town in an absolutely beautiful part of the country. The weather is gorgeous! Most days it doesn't get hotter than the mid-70's; some days it doesn't get past the high 60's. It actually feels quite a bit like an Alaskan summer, but with less mosquitoes! Two years ago, moving from Alaska to southeast Kansas while rather pregnant made for what felt like the hottest summer of my life. Moving from that hot Kansas humidity up to this dry, fresh, cool air while rather pregnant has been bliss! Aaron loves it no less than I do. For, him, just breathing the air up here feels like home. He is one happy, thoroughly contented man!<br />
<br />
During the first week here, we were blessed to have my parents around to help us unpack and settle in. Grandpa made sure to include a little exploring to keep things interesting. He took Xander fishing at the nearby river, but all Xander caught were 4 crawdads, 3 of which were smart enough to escape. The remaining poor little fellow had the privilege of amazing a crowd with the fact that he turned from muddy brown to bright red when boiled. Xander and Grandpa thought the tiny morsels were delicious.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTrtyHjrDRWj9_7y-9THKzb9xlBwOKG95xnLQWHWUoKlvRMjalR5mKCc0HjnLBcZRSXLa2qGCQtOjIiTie8OEIbKXpfaU1gpcrZqUBWtWPg0NFEojN4ABPG_KTyL1qwj5g-fexrF0uiM/s1600/IMG_5184.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTrtyHjrDRWj9_7y-9THKzb9xlBwOKG95xnLQWHWUoKlvRMjalR5mKCc0HjnLBcZRSXLa2qGCQtOjIiTie8OEIbKXpfaU1gpcrZqUBWtWPg0NFEojN4ABPG_KTyL1qwj5g-fexrF0uiM/s320/IMG_5184.JPG" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUnKxbI7_XfkDBa4X_v8b9aVGxgLA7GiHdn_Lx76JA6FKmijCXAmVsagvUm-YDyBO443o8jpNhAdcWH6f84Y-kWJTAXW274tjbtyTyMsis5EY73FhCdJ7plOjk9XknoDl2ylkcs_XxKc/s1600/IMG_5185.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJUnKxbI7_XfkDBa4X_v8b9aVGxgLA7GiHdn_Lx76JA6FKmijCXAmVsagvUm-YDyBO443o8jpNhAdcWH6f84Y-kWJTAXW274tjbtyTyMsis5EY73FhCdJ7plOjk9XknoDl2ylkcs_XxKc/s320/IMG_5185.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
While Grandma and Grandpa were here, we discovered a few other things, as well. For one, that we were blessed to move into a wonderfully welcoming ward. With open arms, meals, treats, and people dropping by to introduce themselves, they welcomed us days before we even got to go to Church to meet everyone. It's so nice to feel wanted and needed! While it's not <i>quite</i> literally true that our family doubled the primary, it's pretty close, at least on weeks like today when some regulars are on vacation and no visitors are there. Today we had 9 kids in all of primary, junior and senior meeting together, and 4 of them were Dahles (plus, out of the 2 Nursery kids there today, one was a little Dahle). Aaron was substituting for the regular senior primary teacher (yes, all of senior primary meets together in one Valiant class) today and the only kids in class were Xander and Elodie! I happen to know these specifics because I was called a couple weeks ago to the same calling I had in our last ward: Second Counselor in the Primary Presidency! Primary is such a fun place to be. And as an added bonus, since junior and senior meet together during the second block, primary leaders get to go to Relief Society!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGp-5nC-r8D3YSRlg1WRe6dGPZtM53hlLq6XROBExLWR1q-h0IoQFLI32XapMwyQGcT87JFx3_jYSILFFDxLe_jZFI7Onzpqb5WobGjQr06PUMF3sBJIsZrFHUxGo66CqzLgFFoXTQX8/s1600/IMG_5178.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGp-5nC-r8D3YSRlg1WRe6dGPZtM53hlLq6XROBExLWR1q-h0IoQFLI32XapMwyQGcT87JFx3_jYSILFFDxLe_jZFI7Onzpqb5WobGjQr06PUMF3sBJIsZrFHUxGo66CqzLgFFoXTQX8/s320/IMG_5178.JPG" width="239" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0_Nl5fEFUctFeN8QLHif2C-9dJLEziVmLnXOkRSUg_01LmvxAjLwaYPhw03yziUngtXKtgGRVIrNToJmDcqksflz0EkipxyGix5l6RIeCmJX1ptx2d3qOtmqBBc-PD1x4g-FiejIBWc/s1600/IMG_5189.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN0_Nl5fEFUctFeN8QLHif2C-9dJLEziVmLnXOkRSUg_01LmvxAjLwaYPhw03yziUngtXKtgGRVIrNToJmDcqksflz0EkipxyGix5l6RIeCmJX1ptx2d3qOtmqBBc-PD1x4g-FiejIBWc/s320/IMG_5189.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
We also discovered how nice and generous our neighbors are when they offered us their lawn furniture and folding table and chairs while we waited for our furniture to arrive. And we discovered our cozy little library that kept the kids in books while they awaited their personal collection.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1K3v77D1Bk0MXJIPGlJtYpPa7SA0rVsuHr4vUJTtX1e9d-UIgLzgLUlPTgc100v1GJoSQ9XJksDHEeZkya5eSRb-DE_u99rFLFfRpHU1kiNkfuUz7beglVSmwEPuQwpopl3VSJC4nKs/s1600/IMG_5187.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1K3v77D1Bk0MXJIPGlJtYpPa7SA0rVsuHr4vUJTtX1e9d-UIgLzgLUlPTgc100v1GJoSQ9XJksDHEeZkya5eSRb-DE_u99rFLFfRpHU1kiNkfuUz7beglVSmwEPuQwpopl3VSJC4nKs/s320/IMG_5187.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
On the day the moving truck arrived and the crew unloaded our truck, it was so nice to have Grandma and Grandpa off entertaining the kids as they explored the Dinosaur Museum, library, park, and ice cream parlor! I tried to figure out where everything from our 4-level house with lots of storage would go in this little house with limited storage. By using up every bit of room in our allotted half of the detached garage and utilizing the second kitchen in the basement as our food storage room, we were able to fit everything in fairly well. In fact, I'd say we fit pretty cozily in here. The tightest fit is our dining room table in the little kitchen eating area, but as long as the person sitting in front of the fridge is flexible about moving if you forgot the salad dressing and the skinny little kids are in the back by the wall, we discovered that we <i>can</i> fit our family and two guests around the table. "A house filled with love has elastic walls," as a wise woman once said.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenPfj3l17gPghGLYsi2AP9Pnp2zJ5njMOnXdMaTK8AGiU8fNXIK1j1CObp1I_DvE4da6ljoehYnNz_05Uh4Xb0L18CPnCFGvZ7t9DvfxaMkwHwzv8ZTThCSKoJTCkj-9jkZHy6l8ostc/s1600/IMG_5194.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenPfj3l17gPghGLYsi2AP9Pnp2zJ5njMOnXdMaTK8AGiU8fNXIK1j1CObp1I_DvE4da6ljoehYnNz_05Uh4Xb0L18CPnCFGvZ7t9DvfxaMkwHwzv8ZTThCSKoJTCkj-9jkZHy6l8ostc/s320/IMG_5194.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSIcaWJIQGAVyDyEkArBsCtGHPI1edHjnQ0zQNWN-KxqNdLr-axcHJOM93FKpFJwzaQZMntuez0_DZc5iAlGRSL-_kgrNCkJkgF29MROKY3qSbiOuV_CuRbgqv9EqDMhV2wier9L2ucw/s1600/IMG_5195.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiSIcaWJIQGAVyDyEkArBsCtGHPI1edHjnQ0zQNWN-KxqNdLr-axcHJOM93FKpFJwzaQZMntuez0_DZc5iAlGRSL-_kgrNCkJkgF29MROKY3qSbiOuV_CuRbgqv9EqDMhV2wier9L2ucw/s320/IMG_5195.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
I'm so grateful that we found this affordable house that is big enough for our family and stuff (over 21,000 pounds of stuff!! Unbelievable!). We can stay here as long as we need to while we save up and look for just the right house for our family to settle in to for the long haul. My favorite part about the house is that it's right in town, close enough to walk or ride bikes to the library, school, pool, grocery store, church, scout hall, tire shop, and most everywhere. The town has such a great, safe, family-friendly feel that after only being here a week, I felt just fine about having Xander bike himself to and from basketball camp at the school 3 blocks away. He bikes himself to scouts on Tuesdays, he and Elodie bike together to swim team daily, and they biked together to Church one week. It simplifies my life so nicely to have them transporting themselves to activities, and they've taken the responsibility on beautifully! Speaking of beautiful, check out how clear this water is!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IeLo6QoGrUF7m8BTcO45zQFA448Ub87cvr58PXl0WI7MmN4CASXltnQu136FPaTipy-12seQX4IK0cbfli9es-_fd4zEbibxjGCk427zW3lztMVSC1OQ8ZEdWF0fGe1mDNjQFG24kDg/s1600/IMG_1414.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1IeLo6QoGrUF7m8BTcO45zQFA448Ub87cvr58PXl0WI7MmN4CASXltnQu136FPaTipy-12seQX4IK0cbfli9es-_fd4zEbibxjGCk427zW3lztMVSC1OQ8ZEdWF0fGe1mDNjQFG24kDg/s320/IMG_1414.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
Aaron, Grandpa, and most of the kids went out fishing and exploring the beautiful reservoirs around us while my mom and I unpacked and turned the heap of boxes and furniture into a cozy home. We are all feeling settled and happy here in rural Montana!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQ9n3TBkNQrUG1PmYKR35MGTQU2lQzQbs1qYjr8kfagt4Jocupe6K0gwGwISMhhYdDBlW1hUyLztdQmex-f80QaXQzrjHbE2Ko_XR4wRd1n-kUNd0vCTJ02YN5J5MYC1yqLafYXmC0fk/s1600/IMG_5196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcA0w3MOknzrJ9OPoV1cGLhFRW51A9zeu7V2NPqt9iEwEJ7qnfkh-sCMBD2OXBiDvyG2l-y_uvCh_coddAp2IOPn5ul9kDCB6gyJIq27MRq_7M8_Ws0Exg-z56Q4RhEzW8Iy48AcvVC0M/s1600/IMG_5191.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcA0w3MOknzrJ9OPoV1cGLhFRW51A9zeu7V2NPqt9iEwEJ7qnfkh-sCMBD2OXBiDvyG2l-y_uvCh_coddAp2IOPn5ul9kDCB6gyJIq27MRq_7M8_Ws0Exg-z56Q4RhEzW8Iy48AcvVC0M/s320/IMG_5191.JPG" width="239" /></a> <img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQ9n3TBkNQrUG1PmYKR35MGTQU2lQzQbs1qYjr8kfagt4Jocupe6K0gwGwISMhhYdDBlW1hUyLztdQmex-f80QaXQzrjHbE2Ko_XR4wRd1n-kUNd0vCTJ02YN5J5MYC1yqLafYXmC0fk/s320/IMG_5196.JPG" width="320" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQ9n3TBkNQrUG1PmYKR35MGTQU2lQzQbs1qYjr8kfagt4Jocupe6K0gwGwISMhhYdDBlW1hUyLztdQmex-f80QaXQzrjHbE2Ko_XR4wRd1n-kUNd0vCTJ02YN5J5MYC1yqLafYXmC0fk/s1600/IMG_5196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><br /><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
(Written on July 17 in an attempt to catch up!)<br />
<br />The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-82991980762541926832016-06-02T18:21:00.000-07:002016-07-18T10:27:25.746-07:00Attic FinishingWhen we were house hunting in Independence, Kansas, the potential of this attic space<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUCV0EvRcqC8GMKb8X-Zp23qe09H36rTsStnpC4YYEuXE-4xKQXCxlv1bxp_yR4wxlxHfjdYJGY8LJftuMo79eep4RQ4t9LEGYu-1b4_TI96fT5ZOjmy1PbeXOVlB3sUTD79KOAx6Aho/s1600/IMG_2583.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUCV0EvRcqC8GMKb8X-Zp23qe09H36rTsStnpC4YYEuXE-4xKQXCxlv1bxp_yR4wxlxHfjdYJGY8LJftuMo79eep4RQ4t9LEGYu-1b4_TI96fT5ZOjmy1PbeXOVlB3sUTD79KOAx6Aho/s320/IMG_2583.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
was a big selling point for us. So we bought this beautiful, old, brick house<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZm6ZvwkedfdZHBzhzH0rH_mLKWmmeFlhayuAkIH-hfnHnB4MddkfZM6af7zVZLs2GTI3QVF6wkAdhWU5RoiFxeeHdJgeTdOXsb5Z_OfuFOSOSz5T9hz2bKEEKJHO2VP3gpD1jlSeMQI/s1600/IMG_2595.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZm6ZvwkedfdZHBzhzH0rH_mLKWmmeFlhayuAkIH-hfnHnB4MddkfZM6af7zVZLs2GTI3QVF6wkAdhWU5RoiFxeeHdJgeTdOXsb5Z_OfuFOSOSz5T9hz2bKEEKJHO2VP3gpD1jlSeMQI/s320/IMG_2595.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
and got to work on making the attic a dream-come-true 4th bedroom-clubhouse for the older kids. Well, Aaron did. I was like this<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVQKDP2G-NaJoROdIKAnZLoz5YJ7eRPf4402pL1BZSlAesiGN-SpvT8eOw01ljMSycsiFgqhphK60OKRWxbhv3UdE8-FhXihWVlOGe67rpsOIwz189_ACcDDY7lmfvPxcr1F_Uy3lhmI/s1600/IMG_2628.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVQKDP2G-NaJoROdIKAnZLoz5YJ7eRPf4402pL1BZSlAesiGN-SpvT8eOw01ljMSycsiFgqhphK60OKRWxbhv3UdE8-FhXihWVlOGe67rpsOIwz189_ACcDDY7lmfvPxcr1F_Uy3lhmI/s320/IMG_2628.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
so I just dreamed and surfed the internet for pictures of beautiful finished attics like this<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_A3QxdcyU3MZUHTqIWAlE8ZBitXjISzeZ2xZCOdgs9f5k2RRhyphenhyphendkhHm1hkObRwdC40EvPfN777x_rfJGqC29t-3Ta9Yltfs4qhROU5K2hFZ0ZMhgdVWSLFx0eaIA2pcebIcqyx0Tq_0M/s1600/IMG_2733.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_A3QxdcyU3MZUHTqIWAlE8ZBitXjISzeZ2xZCOdgs9f5k2RRhyphenhyphendkhHm1hkObRwdC40EvPfN777x_rfJGqC29t-3Ta9Yltfs4qhROU5K2hFZ0ZMhgdVWSLFx0eaIA2pcebIcqyx0Tq_0M/s320/IMG_2733.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
The morning of the day this little guy arrived on the scene,<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89MzquAHIiZ4XuXD1HsSQe5DsuPT-JJ2QYrbE1TI6OhWW-aC-Y4tqK_Do2Y4KG1_oGU8wbGdkxJU3HSvFmXxeL3b0-Maxm1EAJ18oiec8loj5gsS09OPfHcq7cGccBaq8vXa9gsLewEU/s1600/IMG_2638.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89MzquAHIiZ4XuXD1HsSQe5DsuPT-JJ2QYrbE1TI6OhWW-aC-Y4tqK_Do2Y4KG1_oGU8wbGdkxJU3HSvFmXxeL3b0-Maxm1EAJ18oiec8loj5gsS09OPfHcq7cGccBaq8vXa9gsLewEU/s320/IMG_2638.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
Aaron was doing some exploration in the attic, and as he tore out a kneewall, he also cut off power to 75% of the lights in the house. Awesome. I'm in labor so let's go to the hospital and we'll deal with that later. With the updating of 1930's knob-and-tube wiring suddenly bumped to first on the old house priority list,<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ghmM94lHRNKUci9o0bzzGnh9G3NA0cnvKtI8c7-6_MPzVGjgxhfG_0k-k9Yc740prsjnevDy7gxj6mjIkN5AuP2G633sDbC-f-qeIzC6x0w_Wa_vFQnmgLFtNUrTpcZEDT7fk_XRs8c/s1600/IMG_2745.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ghmM94lHRNKUci9o0bzzGnh9G3NA0cnvKtI8c7-6_MPzVGjgxhfG_0k-k9Yc740prsjnevDy7gxj6mjIkN5AuP2G633sDbC-f-qeIzC6x0w_Wa_vFQnmgLFtNUrTpcZEDT7fk_XRs8c/s320/IMG_2745.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
finishing the attic was not something he could make time for right away. The attic had to wait with all of his other time demands: being an excellent dad,<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyzXq2RmWeU9rOunmvj-NOig8bIdtj0wpBNsa05aZknHkEUL8e6lOPZCoYwiUlova4KdaDiDqAYQ1MUvAffnjaZArtA5yI99okNIdD3R7vcJuyMxmRyukl_axwV-MSMLK_PX5HNRNI7o/s1600/IMG_2740.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyzXq2RmWeU9rOunmvj-NOig8bIdtj0wpBNsa05aZknHkEUL8e6lOPZCoYwiUlova4KdaDiDqAYQ1MUvAffnjaZArtA5yI99okNIdD3R7vcJuyMxmRyukl_axwV-MSMLK_PX5HNRNI7o/s320/IMG_2740.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
monthly weekend Guard Duty,<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8V4YxqhxUXbEty4GGJLhNdbhni4CCY2067osCrJi2n0xQRRNWem6thYOxUzp7u3EFcTQiDXTIGkKnkwvQ_sl03BNzivK-wgg-4lbT4YOqr_Sj5Qo0JwVezCK0kMdnlzvopklX6nrb6A/s1600/IMG_3036.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8V4YxqhxUXbEty4GGJLhNdbhni4CCY2067osCrJi2n0xQRRNWem6thYOxUzp7u3EFcTQiDXTIGkKnkwvQ_sl03BNzivK-wgg-4lbT4YOqr_Sj5Qo0JwVezCK0kMdnlzvopklX6nrb6A/s320/IMG_3036.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
monthly temple trips,<br />
<br />
<img height="236" src="https://www.lds.org/bc/content/church/temples/oklahoma-city-oklahoma/images/oklahoma-city-oklahoma-808x480-CU031114-011.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<br />
monthly visits to his family in Texas to see his sweet mom who was suffering from pancreatic cancer,<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeWwJjraZFwqIbhPJLfbiun6KdNtox7UT2hdiXCSbBfAzTzn83_dGcp-WshNSY8rL9z_CY12Ad6_B21ZUtxpR_KEudPPpfAtEaqjM6henvAqjzfy_VPn0bjcsKo3gWlHag30C0UV6f4A/s1600/Aug.+27%252C+2014.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeWwJjraZFwqIbhPJLfbiun6KdNtox7UT2hdiXCSbBfAzTzn83_dGcp-WshNSY8rL9z_CY12Ad6_B21ZUtxpR_KEudPPpfAtEaqjM6henvAqjzfy_VPn0bjcsKo3gWlHag30C0UV6f4A/s320/Aug.+27%252C+2014.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
campouts with the YM,<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSgliYAPy_Kd31QkvIYWQ7k9Xpf8A6V8owoq3rY5zWDSuTkSYiYp47VJ0mq5dwmXvb_7J8_Cy3yBx51oiIUTZ8BDeO-QLs91Z3w7vbkVxqpiAu4tlXcG1Zy1jsDeaS5t7AY6yP0hIosU/s1600/IMG_3708.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpObBCZ0sLkz-To6T-uwoIGo86p2feXB4xeUC-amiUxkcxBXOwo8cvnGmLEjsFscKLfvpLW5tiGJJE63XFqmdKPeEvnWLVLSvSfdPH8Ds_UyxJbqXUltRYP-6pPutx8S5UrXb_eoqcX0/s1600/IMG_1269.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpObBCZ0sLkz-To6T-uwoIGo86p2feXB4xeUC-amiUxkcxBXOwo8cvnGmLEjsFscKLfvpLW5tiGJJE63XFqmdKPeEvnWLVLSvSfdPH8Ds_UyxJbqXUltRYP-6pPutx8S5UrXb_eoqcX0/s320/IMG_1269.JPG" width="240" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkSgliYAPy_Kd31QkvIYWQ7k9Xpf8A6V8owoq3rY5zWDSuTkSYiYp47VJ0mq5dwmXvb_7J8_Cy3yBx51oiIUTZ8BDeO-QLs91Z3w7vbkVxqpiAu4tlXcG1Zy1jsDeaS5t7AY6yP0hIosU/s320/IMG_3708.JPG" width="239" /><br />
<br />
and working one Saturday a month at the clinic. All that left the attic still looking like this<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP685YsLRmx7wwAuXk5PZ1Emc58dt5ndIQ0aV4-17d9nU0FVrpkEHdQq-z246FCARhikS9DGnR-9neMJ620r7FGljwC2WyutR5bez_RjKGqSX5BW2QRrlCfgAzIE3ewdCgp1FEwz2JO44/s1600/IMG_2585.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP685YsLRmx7wwAuXk5PZ1Emc58dt5ndIQ0aV4-17d9nU0FVrpkEHdQq-z246FCARhikS9DGnR-9neMJ620r7FGljwC2WyutR5bez_RjKGqSX5BW2QRrlCfgAzIE3ewdCgp1FEwz2JO44/s320/IMG_2585.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
We hired local Lee's Cooling to install an air conditioner up there. But even after they were done, it was still SO HOT up there! They blamed it on the lack of insulation. Based on a YouTube idea, Aaron decided to frame in additional 2x4s to increase the depth potential of insulation, and thus its R-value. So framing began. Progress was SLOW. Wires had to be run and lights and outlets planned and prepared for. Finally, over a year later, it was ready for insulation. Aaron was ready to hire that job out, too, but we couldn't even find a local guy willing to take on the job. A great deal on some stiff foam insulation fell into our laps<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhH2oUoYrIVsUS9cokqSA4zkfG5iCdW0Zuunnlo7wRfsLklUNwsa12KGvZRjkbKs2sC89cqivxXXromUFBbXT1Rxi4WsMYF22-G8FNVgclSMz8Rnrm0-qgjcfdeLLpj2rUy4eTJOBiRw/s1600/IMG_4570.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhH2oUoYrIVsUS9cokqSA4zkfG5iCdW0Zuunnlo7wRfsLklUNwsa12KGvZRjkbKs2sC89cqivxXXromUFBbXT1Rxi4WsMYF22-G8FNVgclSMz8Rnrm0-qgjcfdeLLpj2rUy4eTJOBiRw/s320/IMG_4570.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
so Aaron manned up, as usual, with his trusty sidekick Xander, who did not relish the hot, sweaty, itchy job but definitely learned a LOT!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Q7kMXqCVpq4mRPMRk5fq9OeztA9Ugw4Wc9AhDff1WZZCxm2-nS62cZPaB5DvIP98QGAhqMyhKW3SyysaeBCU-N8SWeLXxg36oyehGCdM270suWgGfdyzxp-6tTwDvY63PrUx44-sP0E/s1600/IMG_3398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Q7kMXqCVpq4mRPMRk5fq9OeztA9Ugw4Wc9AhDff1WZZCxm2-nS62cZPaB5DvIP98QGAhqMyhKW3SyysaeBCU-N8SWeLXxg36oyehGCdM270suWgGfdyzxp-6tTwDvY63PrUx44-sP0E/s320/IMG_3398.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Again, progress was SLOW.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg29QQWCq-NKvgHmBYi50zDrTRrNdZh_2AnfwR7Te78qoc8i37IalF5IpyKBGLBNiKAbAtUw_-aKdrwLjQOp7MhDLJkYjQZGodvtorlNVPH5LfMEH_JEbkjpoFsowRlJlJxB6DMTnMyAA/s1600/IMG_2587.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg29QQWCq-NKvgHmBYi50zDrTRrNdZh_2AnfwR7Te78qoc8i37IalF5IpyKBGLBNiKAbAtUw_-aKdrwLjQOp7MhDLJkYjQZGodvtorlNVPH5LfMEH_JEbkjpoFsowRlJlJxB6DMTnMyAA/s320/IMG_2587.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
Then we felt like it was the right time for us to fulfill Aaron's dream of moving to Montana to settle down and raise our family. In the slow real estate market of our little town, we didn't think that a work-in-progress (AKA hideous construction zone) of an attic would sell the house, so we threw balance to the wind and Aaron devoted all of his spare time to actually finishing that attic! As the moving date neared and he had only hung a few sheets of drywall, reality hit so we hired the wonderful Jeff and Vance to finish drywalling for us. They finished the Saturday before the moving truck was scheduled to arrive (on a Tuesday). Then we had to paint, clean up the construction zone floors, put a railing on the stairs, and install all of the recessed lights and outlets. The goal was to finish all of that up on Wednesday, Aaron's birthday, and then drive out Thursday morning.<br />
<br />
Thanks to the Xander & Elodie, the missionaries, and some selfless friends, we <i>nearly</i> got the drywall mud scraped and scrubbed off of the floor. It was far from perfect, and there was no time to actually stain and finish the cool old wood floor, but we did all we could and we'd have to be OK with what we could do. For the first time, I can honestly say "we" because on Aaron's birthday, I actually chipped in with some personal elbow grease up there instead of just consultation (since the moving truck had come the day before, I was totally done with all of the packing) and experienced for myself just how miserable the working conditions were in that hot, humid, filthy attic. Heat rash, puffy allergy eyes, and utter exhaustion (apparently, I'm a bit of a wimp, though in my defense, I am in my 3rd trimester)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyUwzIRCqXXJKro1H095Hf2gwmcCvmkRa-3w6Xv-kv_zNcVjlMquHcS1km85bD5fUj_F8-FZrR5lEvDq5_VgYjsElL0tN36UWn0vUPAFCcnkz3_16OAGmOrIQOJ9d58G3Px8wC_atFkw/s1600/IMG_5134.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyUwzIRCqXXJKro1H095Hf2gwmcCvmkRa-3w6Xv-kv_zNcVjlMquHcS1km85bD5fUj_F8-FZrR5lEvDq5_VgYjsElL0tN36UWn0vUPAFCcnkz3_16OAGmOrIQOJ9d58G3Px8wC_atFkw/s320/IMG_5134.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
really made me appreciate how dutifully Aaron just mans up without complaint to get it done! Let me just say, I did not marry a WIMP! I love this guy--I am so very very thankful for him!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkGRd1gJcRbcacMJBM6t5z33-o1VZJq_K1XCrN-J8awJ3akBgEpS5GBPM4J2hIdxvVqM5hD0mzK9QumPfnLvLZIc8V3heaKdYIiN_TV3bWFo_OifX8KR0V1KDpSGoql5R6PCPhvZywfE/s1600/IMG_5132.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdkGRd1gJcRbcacMJBM6t5z33-o1VZJq_K1XCrN-J8awJ3akBgEpS5GBPM4J2hIdxvVqM5hD0mzK9QumPfnLvLZIc8V3heaKdYIiN_TV3bWFo_OifX8KR0V1KDpSGoql5R6PCPhvZywfE/s320/IMG_5132.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
Sadly, Aaron did not get the one birthday present he wished for: that all of his work on the electrical piece on his birthday would just<i> please</i> come together so that when he flipped the magical switch, there would be light. At 11:30pm, he was finally ready for the moment of truth. He flipped a switch, and no light. He flipped another switch and there was a flicker as brief as lightning, then nothing. The final switch: nothing. Calmly troubleshooting with his tired brain and exhausted body got us no where. But we were supposed to move out the next morning!!! Oh no!! In frustration, I texted my mom. She texted back some wise counsel that we gratefully followed: get some sleep and leave a day later. That extra day proved to be just what we needed. Aaron discovered that the drywallers had indeed drywalled right over an outlet, preventing the circuit from completing. After a little exploration (AKA cutting) into the brand new drywall, he found that hiding outlet and was able to get some lights on. Another circuit was overloaded--in his characteristic "go-big-or-go-home" style, he had simply installed too many lights for the space, you know, to make sure that it didn't feel like a dark cave up there any more. So after removing half of the lights (yes, leaving recessed holes in the ceiling), those lights worked, too. We ran out of time to trouble shoot the lights in the last dormer area, but were in the right frame of mind to accept that we'd done all we could and were just out of time. We didn't get it perfectly finished or staged for selling our house like I'd hoped, but what we accomplished felt pretty awesome, and we enjoyed tucking our kids into bed in the attic on our really, truly final night in Kansas. It felt beautiful up there to us after all we'd put into it, and we enjoyed a lovely last night in our nearly empty house.<br />
<br />
Imagine that the built-in twin bed has an actual mattress on it and that there are books and a cute little lamp on the shelf.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSVcwpjbA6oyAPfgibWuUzu49reawyMQKMEkee32cQyGimUzZPc_En5OFXABpwX5yBIxiuriaCpgkvKN9GhuqldHfEJWHF4mMchydOfNvMc7YPr0WtmEqXfId8YRJ0baoyBX25m0pS0s/s1600/IMG_3473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguSVcwpjbA6oyAPfgibWuUzu49reawyMQKMEkee32cQyGimUzZPc_En5OFXABpwX5yBIxiuriaCpgkvKN9GhuqldHfEJWHF4mMchydOfNvMc7YPr0WtmEqXfId8YRJ0baoyBX25m0pS0s/s320/IMG_3473.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSt3PmqXCCi92NFbu2LFLC8Da1nFVAelcQGIxuv1uYPWgLDmAJEEngcB3UEG1sGFSyqNAW_CHlg37-duyQN0PFSwjTaV2cnchskEQ2BsCfSSnAa9rTy0RP7IfX_nJXm90TIstxwGRl3T8/s1600/IMG_5152.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSt3PmqXCCi92NFbu2LFLC8Da1nFVAelcQGIxuv1uYPWgLDmAJEEngcB3UEG1sGFSyqNAW_CHlg37-duyQN0PFSwjTaV2cnchskEQ2BsCfSSnAa9rTy0RP7IfX_nJXm90TIstxwGRl3T8/s320/IMG_5152.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
I'm sure that this window seat reading nook would have quickly become Elodie's favorite spot in the house!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-yBUyK4NKBWDzmrQQsakxIQW8E2XHo70hslFm2TFaXefgmSyohYiIKW8t_ogL3yucQJNoq7KMbfeUY5v7hZ6QyRA4ow0WaE_3vpJEA4kxcqS4a64DTvNkmNii2zk7WTuClmLeJzW1Ko/s1600/IMG_5151.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-yBUyK4NKBWDzmrQQsakxIQW8E2XHo70hslFm2TFaXefgmSyohYiIKW8t_ogL3yucQJNoq7KMbfeUY5v7hZ6QyRA4ow0WaE_3vpJEA4kxcqS4a64DTvNkmNii2zk7WTuClmLeJzW1Ko/s320/IMG_5151.JPG" width="239" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMESyd55sOCPVFawcVCKWCvDfUPKw5zUKa3C8D5i0CEO1sUQLDxylWvwmZAx4jdhRoKSD5r6QPiLvhnMaTUhEuH3mjSpX3ao8LGCn-IZetdrp1Zx6s9UmlHluGnsQRKyiksstmUZj4c3U/s1600/IMG_3381.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMESyd55sOCPVFawcVCKWCvDfUPKw5zUKa3C8D5i0CEO1sUQLDxylWvwmZAx4jdhRoKSD5r6QPiLvhnMaTUhEuH3mjSpX3ao8LGCn-IZetdrp1Zx6s9UmlHluGnsQRKyiksstmUZj4c3U/s320/IMG_3381.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Imagine Xander's bed there where the old attic fan is in the before picture, and a sweet Lego Land in that big, open area to the left.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCKAzmi5sJMK7m5-ijJ_iMHL9zMHK_cxXtZ8AMReTUmiby0R77YMzRR5dWre-UT_m5j6MxCuTodlYk6idWGvuDTfXLy-62XBQSzkJCXnJu__n1tLoEcOLxBx8eNBWnLlkuu5_2vkeXFk/s1600/IMG_2585.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCKAzmi5sJMK7m5-ijJ_iMHL9zMHK_cxXtZ8AMReTUmiby0R77YMzRR5dWre-UT_m5j6MxCuTodlYk6idWGvuDTfXLy-62XBQSzkJCXnJu__n1tLoEcOLxBx8eNBWnLlkuu5_2vkeXFk/s320/IMG_2585.JPG" width="239" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGDX534v0RDEKli84S5d5J5cmKlTJ6KlnRBG8nHP4Vo6W3JT5oLhSHChWQoXx6NXGyV7OZjNhPHIc4fqq7PFz9u0P6XdBpvNsIZWp8jgIfaCgn3PZelpQenBmPJBumlhqskavECmIUHI/s1600/IMG_5156.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGDX534v0RDEKli84S5d5J5cmKlTJ6KlnRBG8nHP4Vo6W3JT5oLhSHChWQoXx6NXGyV7OZjNhPHIc4fqq7PFz9u0P6XdBpvNsIZWp8jgIfaCgn3PZelpQenBmPJBumlhqskavECmIUHI/s320/IMG_5156.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Aren't those lit up lights a beautiful sight? Just ignore those extra round holes in the ceiling. And the white drywall mud residue on the floor; we're pretending it gives it a rustic white-washed look.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkq1TNYdA6KeL3DFEIarZVoyaLqluNTYN8gOCTdk_IamLtX1Q5hdP-Nz2QJRVJ3GQHjSbJUZ0xRU6PomN_Y_pBVOk85-tUmgOONkWYVKrnigWBrjNaRxSFJXIpUoGQHarHN21OLOi_9hE/s1600/IMG_5145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkq1TNYdA6KeL3DFEIarZVoyaLqluNTYN8gOCTdk_IamLtX1Q5hdP-Nz2QJRVJ3GQHjSbJUZ0xRU6PomN_Y_pBVOk85-tUmgOONkWYVKrnigWBrjNaRxSFJXIpUoGQHarHN21OLOi_9hE/s320/IMG_5145.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqAtw-IvlAhLWwLKJZtltfZKFbtwdHcgg4WWvpOpjN5BWCI2wr1qXwIr87-xflY2eOOrvq-hKHB5nTnH1jHq77od2gXAs-5kafE1k7W_blcQpRZA4T43bVTMaO3KCGKT3nFKklPg5MVE/s1600/IMG_5144.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqAtw-IvlAhLWwLKJZtltfZKFbtwdHcgg4WWvpOpjN5BWCI2wr1qXwIr87-xflY2eOOrvq-hKHB5nTnH1jHq77od2gXAs-5kafE1k7W_blcQpRZA4T43bVTMaO3KCGKT3nFKklPg5MVE/s320/IMG_5144.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We all loved how it turned out and were sad to leave it behind, but so happy to have a cool space up there to help sell the house! When our realtor came to take pictures of the attic on Aaron's birthday (and I was kind of an emotional wreck at the moment because it was not done at all and things just weren't coming together despite all of our blood, sweat, and tears), she was able to look past the construction-zone residue and tools and empty paint cans everywhere. She was impressed enough that she said she didn't think we needed to lower the price of the house to generate interest, after all. Woohoo! She likes it! Cindy likes it! That helped my emotional state considerably.<br />
<br />
(Note: In fact, just two days after arriving in Choteau, Montana, our realtor called to tell us we'd received a full price offer! We had only had one showing in the previous 7 weeks, then we finished the attic and actually got an offer! It was such a miracle and we felt so incredibly blessed!)<br />
<br />
(Written on July 10 in an effort to catch up!)The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-13419403367500365862016-05-28T16:54:00.000-07:002016-07-18T10:28:57.989-07:00A Chapter Ends: Good-Bye Independence, Kansas!The last couple weeks in Kansas were HARD! Saying goodbye to the great friends we made over the past two years was definitely hard. Here are some of our favorite faces and places that we had to leave behind.<br />
<br />
Hazel just loved her year of preschool with Mrs. Allison Daily and Mrs. Jessica Belt.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip14GhzuG1dabuOviB49XxDufMj2ly8-MHaY5aA1bEAdexLVg2mKlTdAMoYuKMCPFmYtv2wDW-GGigtqMC3wRlslB-SARNkXtKRWuZWUhwGBKvItgLQN_thSjkRplw3c55qzkxNRHltPA/s1600/IMG_5071.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip14GhzuG1dabuOviB49XxDufMj2ly8-MHaY5aA1bEAdexLVg2mKlTdAMoYuKMCPFmYtv2wDW-GGigtqMC3wRlslB-SARNkXtKRWuZWUhwGBKvItgLQN_thSjkRplw3c55qzkxNRHltPA/s320/IMG_5071.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
I always loved watching Hazel hug and kiss her little brothers goodbye before she confidently walked into preschool by herself as I took off to try to keep up with Mr. Speedracer.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu11xhYFAsihetW4bI1KoDRWZeV4ZICnIw7MfFnAiY82gqGm17dLeCOMLuqbI2JLmGFlnTxCHYnUHglrP4k8NY9Xr2Zs3qYbXNZemY8M5VesO4KN8iLLoX7ElIxd0Dp-MLPkPzvrGslrY/s1600/IMG_5074.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu11xhYFAsihetW4bI1KoDRWZeV4ZICnIw7MfFnAiY82gqGm17dLeCOMLuqbI2JLmGFlnTxCHYnUHglrP4k8NY9Xr2Zs3qYbXNZemY8M5VesO4KN8iLLoX7ElIxd0Dp-MLPkPzvrGslrY/s320/IMG_5074.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
These are some of our favorite buildings that we passed on those frequent walks/rides down Maple St. The Presbyterian Church.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83_S2Q2wywh6crFKmKcg2nAJdEB7y-dHV_g-sHcbDuDcGrAwczJThYg6fcodY_NuS3A4UrcSMyKJlME4Xlz0rLZpR0xUJVC7OSLIOqQcUpYJ1pYiLzZEh7i4VfFPeSkufaBJ5Wz9ZqJk/s1600/IMG_5085.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83_S2Q2wywh6crFKmKcg2nAJdEB7y-dHV_g-sHcbDuDcGrAwczJThYg6fcodY_NuS3A4UrcSMyKJlME4Xlz0rLZpR0xUJVC7OSLIOqQcUpYJ1pYiLzZEh7i4VfFPeSkufaBJ5Wz9ZqJk/s320/IMG_5085.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
The library, with such a great children's floor up top. The best small town library I've been to!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeS4furOk5pHAaEp4DvpHfcAspVdTDcnoNRD6SvYJiTDtoSbujz_8zIwHMUp1L9z-OX1WgaAs8-Q_NKl-SeOALiVZ2Z3s4RaCEtJdMaRqG4w0lxuczikEZuL9cc7HG4g6QldhLbodGgg/s1600/IMG_5079.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMeS4furOk5pHAaEp4DvpHfcAspVdTDcnoNRD6SvYJiTDtoSbujz_8zIwHMUp1L9z-OX1WgaAs8-Q_NKl-SeOALiVZ2Z3s4RaCEtJdMaRqG4w0lxuczikEZuL9cc7HG4g6QldhLbodGgg/s320/IMG_5079.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
The quaint Episcopal Church, where they held the monthly CUFF dinners (Community United Feeding Friends) provided by a different Church in town every month. I enjoyed walking down there to drop off a crock pot of something or a pile of cupcakes, made by Elodie with love.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbcn6D4tGcJ4MuSs5p7dA7BZIWJi0D0JrsmD9eJtpddNBiatmo0NOxn6zq9OEFucSEj9Di08-381oV0i6T9BWfvrXjsYnpE8dG9GmXJ21E3uzdeNj-0eACA9_fFDCkaEW613kKHqEIhho/s1600/IMG_5089.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbcn6D4tGcJ4MuSs5p7dA7BZIWJi0D0JrsmD9eJtpddNBiatmo0NOxn6zq9OEFucSEj9Di08-381oV0i6T9BWfvrXjsYnpE8dG9GmXJ21E3uzdeNj-0eACA9_fFDCkaEW613kKHqEIhho/s320/IMG_5089.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Picturesque, old, brick houses.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gz-XAefpDVYJbZv7-hEl7B58BEulQael3waZnzqbmr2lXKNgczj8KYs-d7uxzFNtGZny0DElahgweXAM1cjnqo-R4AAWrN0mtAR0BPxXv8IAF6JcFWN7SdsUEiDJqyNxNjTokrJT1Ao/s1600/IMG_5093.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8gz-XAefpDVYJbZv7-hEl7B58BEulQael3waZnzqbmr2lXKNgczj8KYs-d7uxzFNtGZny0DElahgweXAM1cjnqo-R4AAWrN0mtAR0BPxXv8IAF6JcFWN7SdsUEiDJqyNxNjTokrJT1Ao/s320/IMG_5093.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJ1oItdnMYKlTatL75BKM1NGoB7SOao2n3Fr6aSiA3djP73NCZ5YFUrDP6G7YCWC9iymoAqBcCzwuz3hQEgE5lrVS-4dPxlWj8xulVtcPjpxa1aRJD3OGN3tcey0qxiyiK5c-ZTC6LmU/s1600/IMG_5097.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJ1oItdnMYKlTatL75BKM1NGoB7SOao2n3Fr6aSiA3djP73NCZ5YFUrDP6G7YCWC9iymoAqBcCzwuz3hQEgE5lrVS-4dPxlWj8xulVtcPjpxa1aRJD3OGN3tcey0qxiyiK5c-ZTC6LmU/s320/IMG_5097.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79EgK2kqfUOQv97B1nJq0Od7QUruVlhLT26MeXH8CzxUg2WBNXPtiJQa1iO3xJGaIrbbYuzpRcl4rXeK51UXqnntPqZmQyG821BT8Uj6ljvVaCgV34_3p2as1WKd0NsTC_3wFB1H_LXI/s1600/IMG_5096.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79EgK2kqfUOQv97B1nJq0Od7QUruVlhLT26MeXH8CzxUg2WBNXPtiJQa1iO3xJGaIrbbYuzpRcl4rXeK51UXqnntPqZmQyG821BT8Uj6ljvVaCgV34_3p2as1WKd0NsTC_3wFB1H_LXI/s320/IMG_5096.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
The kids' favorite place on Maple Street was definitely playing outside with the next-door neighbors: Mariah, Lisa, Harmony, Memphis, Denver, and Quinton.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DTFK4nVcCL9K_oz1hSTODFXv_WD9CAE1L_ZfDuhag7fD4LNfSX-nS5xPh8kruMe4rWhQFTmtDLYR5aOFfhDE_lLmbn4BOAgZe3_604EeCiTTsy8GtJiSHvk-hAZ2SzwYbb5Z9nKkUf4/s1600/IMG_5099.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DTFK4nVcCL9K_oz1hSTODFXv_WD9CAE1L_ZfDuhag7fD4LNfSX-nS5xPh8kruMe4rWhQFTmtDLYR5aOFfhDE_lLmbn4BOAgZe3_604EeCiTTsy8GtJiSHvk-hAZ2SzwYbb5Z9nKkUf4/s320/IMG_5099.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhC6eJ6bfxQxS2Ysd1rV9mNj2JlrFSWlty0tfqOUzqyEscisWZj0jb-Yz1ATq_COMRMsu7qz1sAIRmYXiKLYAsjkKJ9nGaNwBezNxmDhW2ggiWeSxc41dMFLdvDfFGunVQxd_zUdaRoYg/s1600/IMG_5119.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhC6eJ6bfxQxS2Ysd1rV9mNj2JlrFSWlty0tfqOUzqyEscisWZj0jb-Yz1ATq_COMRMsu7qz1sAIRmYXiKLYAsjkKJ9nGaNwBezNxmDhW2ggiWeSxc41dMFLdvDfFGunVQxd_zUdaRoYg/s320/IMG_5119.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0OIn4jeHKD5ejYrq_MALB07ELVzQIZm_SF3nbzcHTazFfebYI0GMH91VSxbv6-YWNIxnoehcVs9dbZIqiBYuN32thUJKI6fp1UA9oz_qzN__qc0Xql-VeO3N71MQNa_S_6FD5ZOTDLc/s1600/IMG_5128.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz0OIn4jeHKD5ejYrq_MALB07ELVzQIZm_SF3nbzcHTazFfebYI0GMH91VSxbv6-YWNIxnoehcVs9dbZIqiBYuN32thUJKI6fp1UA9oz_qzN__qc0Xql-VeO3N71MQNa_S_6FD5ZOTDLc/s320/IMG_5128.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKb8pZOzfdPO7ibW9SRRfcFzeTKBBDBI4AQCKpop5JrZjALDUMTviPEi3Tci_R-Ph6u8NC0WyJyY4_9JJtQcD14G0xlEOPa21rcxH3UnOUBPiSIUdtXdPnPAz6l83yojafsnX2jU3MCw/s1600/IMG_5125.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKb8pZOzfdPO7ibW9SRRfcFzeTKBBDBI4AQCKpop5JrZjALDUMTviPEi3Tci_R-Ph6u8NC0WyJyY4_9JJtQcD14G0xlEOPa21rcxH3UnOUBPiSIUdtXdPnPAz6l83yojafsnX2jU3MCw/s320/IMG_5125.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGvEWi615yfz78GU8HZLIf2FL_vIFS137qWXQkH19d2cZ4aEEkCV18s6XcoLa1TQueItTHm86IkmwQ1J-EWLIqWwl1NssSEovr_2ai7-b9yNagfEIPbH7rzs0a819FZJKFohoB7yy66g/s1600/IMG_5131.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGvEWi615yfz78GU8HZLIf2FL_vIFS137qWXQkH19d2cZ4aEEkCV18s6XcoLa1TQueItTHm86IkmwQ1J-EWLIqWwl1NssSEovr_2ai7-b9yNagfEIPbH7rzs0a819FZJKFohoB7yy66g/s320/IMG_5131.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB3agqJUdF-041HNoOxYQes8B0voYEm2GC9U0pibYF-qlW1mwABZ6F_ROF7MGsLHae_hZV6yEBw-iMuT_leT4VTlghaVVhAidUIMlT0nmuk5xdwNr-p6AGd6wMYKGatZ404HhRsX1cc4/s1600/IMG_5143.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIB3agqJUdF-041HNoOxYQes8B0voYEm2GC9U0pibYF-qlW1mwABZ6F_ROF7MGsLHae_hZV6yEBw-iMuT_leT4VTlghaVVhAidUIMlT0nmuk5xdwNr-p6AGd6wMYKGatZ404HhRsX1cc4/s320/IMG_5143.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
Xander and Elodie loved Mrs. Vicki Clifton, their loving, talented, generous, fun piano teacher. She was a great blessing in our lives and I appreciated her friendship and example through adversity.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEP6u8dAm0iRvV4RuHoIMAJFloqVlismKgEw3bEte-BP3PUGZXs03XQsDLad-KSw_oBPXKTVetFYwqDv52Q_WQbErlhB3y2PIHat1KXJj0eG0b81Rux-Q9FMeuFpNqr_IiL2ppnPN78Y/s1600/IMG_5070.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEP6u8dAm0iRvV4RuHoIMAJFloqVlismKgEw3bEte-BP3PUGZXs03XQsDLad-KSw_oBPXKTVetFYwqDv52Q_WQbErlhB3y2PIHat1KXJj0eG0b81Rux-Q9FMeuFpNqr_IiL2ppnPN78Y/s320/IMG_5070.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
We're all going to miss our wonderful Independence Ward family. I sure love those primary kids, teachers, and leaders. Oliver was struggling with the Nursery adjustment, but was happy to sit next to his big sister in primary!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHera-xr3rGveJZtTDexqlxfOjlPtTfD7T5kriRSeF-riC2XEJqXwMwXw9vSjJmbV7ty4IFLP2yWbyfz0KbWzgac9iSYfFPftszn5VoqXh7OqZgbpblFQNBP9KY4sCZ5nGkT-fIM9gvg/s1600/IMG_5108.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHera-xr3rGveJZtTDexqlxfOjlPtTfD7T5kriRSeF-riC2XEJqXwMwXw9vSjJmbV7ty4IFLP2yWbyfz0KbWzgac9iSYfFPftszn5VoqXh7OqZgbpblFQNBP9KY4sCZ5nGkT-fIM9gvg/s320/IMG_5108.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
We were happy that we got to enjoy another Cinco de Mayo fiesta with our amazing friends, the Krause family.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHk3s61Wnt8xEJzHZUB7C5Y8-kcMrx9h9LefqVE7oDTnZOVieJRoC1-8raVBWPZ65zO4o-Upbi-aljRdD0BdIDa-H1UKO0s90vo76oCiSOWquXFwRUlTq4_S7QPJ8nbulgBEgUFitWlk/s1600/IMG_4981.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIHk3s61Wnt8xEJzHZUB7C5Y8-kcMrx9h9LefqVE7oDTnZOVieJRoC1-8raVBWPZ65zO4o-Upbi-aljRdD0BdIDa-H1UKO0s90vo76oCiSOWquXFwRUlTq4_S7QPJ8nbulgBEgUFitWlk/s320/IMG_4981.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2CGKNrtLyVfPP25be71fgEtnm5v77DDSVpjcCvJ_-31mCC_bFer9x0KqH27rAKmQrnfGNajYqGb_nxoSTSlY42pJHB8WMYxheMHJbn7w-YFAYBwyMECDdD_8hCywKlTnM9ZGbSAh7-A/s1600/IMG_4988.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG2CGKNrtLyVfPP25be71fgEtnm5v77DDSVpjcCvJ_-31mCC_bFer9x0KqH27rAKmQrnfGNajYqGb_nxoSTSlY42pJHB8WMYxheMHJbn7w-YFAYBwyMECDdD_8hCywKlTnM9ZGbSAh7-A/s320/IMG_4988.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGPn5TcY9qMkpMTjaLgBkHtyx-Lx8yha7KSSoaWjhmQO7mcVGXCNe9s_794QumtzrcegYaoo1iNw4jA1sBpRdOHzybrVe4T2p2_zSRTFrFmMBwdONDHSiBuuVIRcI2ZggjZldLrsczPA/s1600/IMG_4991.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGPn5TcY9qMkpMTjaLgBkHtyx-Lx8yha7KSSoaWjhmQO7mcVGXCNe9s_794QumtzrcegYaoo1iNw4jA1sBpRdOHzybrVe4T2p2_zSRTFrFmMBwdONDHSiBuuVIRcI2ZggjZldLrsczPA/s320/IMG_4991.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0V0PEzk43q5mbAGdtKmaI_c31Gcj7c0G9k0UrBJlbx6bkoCK0CmhHO2KmsVTJmL5Nr73BHSDbBKjlqfm72enA5K2ZL9vbBxBHZgy95S2-IbwAKm-FLcFCBtrNZkHiLLOmkNr4OcZaSdg/s1600/IMG_4985.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0V0PEzk43q5mbAGdtKmaI_c31Gcj7c0G9k0UrBJlbx6bkoCK0CmhHO2KmsVTJmL5Nr73BHSDbBKjlqfm72enA5K2ZL9vbBxBHZgy95S2-IbwAKm-FLcFCBtrNZkHiLLOmkNr4OcZaSdg/s320/IMG_4985.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckO5ZMldLb4GW80R5Ql1e-MG4QZmQEcB5VyFlp8CiBzUtX5Bq_bJMYAU45tD5DaVAbsFWErTlUuRXtK6eg2stntAnhixw0jYyYqmdQPnMxJ12TSGnub8utyuy2PArH-0uZy7F80fzoDM/s1600/IMG_4968.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckO5ZMldLb4GW80R5Ql1e-MG4QZmQEcB5VyFlp8CiBzUtX5Bq_bJMYAU45tD5DaVAbsFWErTlUuRXtK6eg2stntAnhixw0jYyYqmdQPnMxJ12TSGnub8utyuy2PArH-0uZy7F80fzoDM/s320/IMG_4968.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
So many wonderful faces I didn't capture--playgroup friends and MOPS friends, kids' teachers and classmates, so many people who blessed our lives while we got to live in Independence! We will miss it!<br />
<br />
Another HARD part was desperately trying to finish the attic to help the house sell. We just didn't think a work-in-progress attic would cut it. We were SO grateful for help from these fun and self-sacrificing missionaries, Sister Girard and Sister Frederiscksen!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZibTUzaXpGGivJ2-9ZCmnIaAoMGlSjFA-xAmflZQx66D6QHKZtJfO3reAZu0AVURyxiDRb5XAtqrH8H-DN8F-sQ0AYQcCFYn2yBNaMYZc7PzV1I5eH_8K-dn77fv9ulSwkRAeqKPIA_Y/s1600/IMG_5113.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZibTUzaXpGGivJ2-9ZCmnIaAoMGlSjFA-xAmflZQx66D6QHKZtJfO3reAZu0AVURyxiDRb5XAtqrH8H-DN8F-sQ0AYQcCFYn2yBNaMYZc7PzV1I5eH_8K-dn77fv9ulSwkRAeqKPIA_Y/s320/IMG_5113.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
Aaron worked like a slave up there.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vopkeFbuQx1DcL8w6O8CHB0AFvU8iQ1Y6-iGQJLD88ZkjX-KW5UDmFISF5tEpxpL3cRr1J7nxwPEg5HaHqWwkB3ncGClovVQjdBo6bx_IAzQJF_xyxl8wZxI8P3XfOt6i2x85shXQPE/s1600/IMG_5105.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0vopkeFbuQx1DcL8w6O8CHB0AFvU8iQ1Y6-iGQJLD88ZkjX-KW5UDmFISF5tEpxpL3cRr1J7nxwPEg5HaHqWwkB3ncGClovVQjdBo6bx_IAzQJF_xyxl8wZxI8P3XfOt6i2x85shXQPE/s320/IMG_5105.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
Xander was a great assistant and spent many hot, sticky, dusty, even smelly hours up there at Dad's side.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg7LU-Y32fRXiDajkPiTHzuUIQp2SG2WYykpt3MBL8PVCz9ymdp72knB266I3QJemWQvT1WSPsD4UPy5QHQStBU65o8putlLxOsYTulNEJzdIUhRreFn2OrGN7fTLlq2wHLgOYJ2IUdA/s1600/IMG_5104.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOg7LU-Y32fRXiDajkPiTHzuUIQp2SG2WYykpt3MBL8PVCz9ymdp72knB266I3QJemWQvT1WSPsD4UPy5QHQStBU65o8putlLxOsYTulNEJzdIUhRreFn2OrGN7fTLlq2wHLgOYJ2IUdA/s320/IMG_5104.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
Of course packing up the entire help with this little "helper" was pretty hard, too!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0e2ly94c66kMcr0HWEoJNgSMQJ-Jj3UFE41jKpjje7W22kpJ1FkVi06HG9v7oX52yVTdG6GM_Y8uL2Q55X8v3HTajjzwY65ySavfVQ4QeZT5cUh965BZPFyZlHRrw-0sLstAUlEXOmE/s1600/IMG_4959.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0e2ly94c66kMcr0HWEoJNgSMQJ-Jj3UFE41jKpjje7W22kpJ1FkVi06HG9v7oX52yVTdG6GM_Y8uL2Q55X8v3HTajjzwY65ySavfVQ4QeZT5cUh965BZPFyZlHRrw-0sLstAUlEXOmE/s320/IMG_4959.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
<br />
Kansas was a great chapter of our lives, with some hard work and hard goodbyes there at the end!The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-69313429251918776412015-09-17T13:22:00.000-07:002015-09-17T13:22:04.517-07:00Oh, Oliver is One!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqjPm7FE3U0OSuxTeZu1XuWEUegVTtZYY3QTqLvY1_HVXMYhFPxmgwv-v8o7cAUjKvRh6xLgbU0Ucl2I-xv-5dbAnM2EZVkwKgoL0rzgFVBrz-DJOR2zEaKU4WWQJbAMfLDBa1izXbqY/s1600/IMG_4245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqjPm7FE3U0OSuxTeZu1XuWEUegVTtZYY3QTqLvY1_HVXMYhFPxmgwv-v8o7cAUjKvRh6xLgbU0Ucl2I-xv-5dbAnM2EZVkwKgoL0rzgFVBrz-DJOR2zEaKU4WWQJbAMfLDBa1izXbqY/s640/IMG_4245.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I loved that Elodie baked and decorated this cake (on multiple levels). From scratch--no cake mix. It was so precious for me to see her joy in serving her favorite baby brother, staying up late with me Saturday night to do it. The missionaries and neighbors joined us on this beautiful nearly-fall Sunday afternoon to celebrate this absolutely darling boy.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuRX2WhRP3c_Unim_NXAcS2aipkM7tArMUBlJwffn_zM6xKnBDR_ods1CZi-eqjhoCJTH6-GaRmf9VhbyCjwSKbranV-FUbyOEuQAhgYAdXLYkQWd3r-zp6WA4yNXRM0rg2WBDZa5PTs/s1600/IMG_4260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuRX2WhRP3c_Unim_NXAcS2aipkM7tArMUBlJwffn_zM6xKnBDR_ods1CZi-eqjhoCJTH6-GaRmf9VhbyCjwSKbranV-FUbyOEuQAhgYAdXLYkQWd3r-zp6WA4yNXRM0rg2WBDZa5PTs/s640/IMG_4260.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOoMltNYwGzSyH6x6jb9F10cElD3b7AeNeslNdtqmKzDKWNbZ5RokaTxRJi938k93sPXngBj6OJagAGYxRq3fgthVQGFTRbxvqnQC5Pu0p1mo3RJnkdWZXKhOVN2PupnSejnR4Ux88Xk/s1600/IMG_4249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOoMltNYwGzSyH6x6jb9F10cElD3b7AeNeslNdtqmKzDKWNbZ5RokaTxRJi938k93sPXngBj6OJagAGYxRq3fgthVQGFTRbxvqnQC5Pu0p1mo3RJnkdWZXKhOVN2PupnSejnR4Ux88Xk/s640/IMG_4249.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-Ela8_FeoSG4yeImG7XKyPdT5f5ykBKyhoAcdiAdmSjg_iQS4nBatvaIT8DO6EcL8js0Ifg3PLcdcXznr8QXNOfndh_Kzt7gaTbMF_9aQbKmpz5J5-RfHYUnF0up9jzkPlLr5cFMIao/s1600/IMG_4250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-Ela8_FeoSG4yeImG7XKyPdT5f5ykBKyhoAcdiAdmSjg_iQS4nBatvaIT8DO6EcL8js0Ifg3PLcdcXznr8QXNOfndh_Kzt7gaTbMF_9aQbKmpz5J5-RfHYUnF0up9jzkPlLr5cFMIao/s640/IMG_4250.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MwoE3j9vMhN6E5F8rpn6IuoHO1VSdRDQujX4-KJTggOan_33f9TVFzTQCZbtC3ZgcUcTFN0YWAjHa_JiDe_YVfklBbrmAnMqqEtxce2FpKroFgHfbGrDZT8ab0tpeHJTmtaSlCgCf_4/s1600/IMG_4252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MwoE3j9vMhN6E5F8rpn6IuoHO1VSdRDQujX4-KJTggOan_33f9TVFzTQCZbtC3ZgcUcTFN0YWAjHa_JiDe_YVfklBbrmAnMqqEtxce2FpKroFgHfbGrDZT8ab0tpeHJTmtaSlCgCf_4/s640/IMG_4252.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB0wlbctQz7AXOdkjxKOmKaOXM5BQJ8y3-8a0gpvGKBH_HKtUW99taUlnPYsY6DgaNkFvTisEP6x0OLitp43Zk7UTo1W4q6GsfQjpFsVcUxbaiINV3HbTTVsvMK0tydkzZJui7l0ajfk/s1600/IMG_4254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB0wlbctQz7AXOdkjxKOmKaOXM5BQJ8y3-8a0gpvGKBH_HKtUW99taUlnPYsY6DgaNkFvTisEP6x0OLitp43Zk7UTo1W4q6GsfQjpFsVcUxbaiINV3HbTTVsvMK0tydkzZJui7l0ajfk/s640/IMG_4254.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywmKgaJ1BC5t54IKd3MGkoQrVF6A36oIX2Iq9Qq8PYyebzkfCkvLKcEqHGCCEpTCPG_5XU0LBNiVh8fKwH3FF5kPmp1K6xw8dnY_begnX2I_74mVTaTh4e9rQNzMlFh6Kc6P6iG-4kyw/s1600/IMG_4257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywmKgaJ1BC5t54IKd3MGkoQrVF6A36oIX2Iq9Qq8PYyebzkfCkvLKcEqHGCCEpTCPG_5XU0LBNiVh8fKwH3FF5kPmp1K6xw8dnY_begnX2I_74mVTaTh4e9rQNzMlFh6Kc6P6iG-4kyw/s640/IMG_4257.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqzarvZYGoUf5b7jgg8Mq0zYfZZ7E6karvz6_EuvYPKPh8tTBwigb8Cdn6v63PYzVg72Z1wW9FbfA0l2u43G6uL4jfjuvssKqrHzuw9P3mQpbL9Lrc5iVfYQLbK6apdc3VUNdxphp4y8/s1600/IMG_4264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqzarvZYGoUf5b7jgg8Mq0zYfZZ7E6karvz6_EuvYPKPh8tTBwigb8Cdn6v63PYzVg72Z1wW9FbfA0l2u43G6uL4jfjuvssKqrHzuw9P3mQpbL9Lrc5iVfYQLbK6apdc3VUNdxphp4y8/s640/IMG_4264.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B5vC37Zw-sf6n61BEz2uUP4tIXUbVR9hc0m0prCGrQiulQXz61GNtxTIWoT8f41LpefYO2YgFJ7AcZI78XpdpZw5EYhf2Y_aw48olyQZy6dSPAEUIsZHDOwVHQqR4BBP3_JvqoNkROI/s1600/IMG_4267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5B5vC37Zw-sf6n61BEz2uUP4tIXUbVR9hc0m0prCGrQiulQXz61GNtxTIWoT8f41LpefYO2YgFJ7AcZI78XpdpZw5EYhf2Y_aw48olyQZy6dSPAEUIsZHDOwVHQqR4BBP3_JvqoNkROI/s640/IMG_4267.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LVEp5N32XuKL4ue2YuTak-h3qEOdEeWugF6s7pjwW1D2jYg7JiBXQfa2Ty55ZTQaej1mK7PQNxeRVyIDWFdN_AeXiD2ixQIj861FMqozHTWKJ7G1T6fmX8MBALmH-3tCJ15utFvUUSE/s1600/IMG_4270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LVEp5N32XuKL4ue2YuTak-h3qEOdEeWugF6s7pjwW1D2jYg7JiBXQfa2Ty55ZTQaej1mK7PQNxeRVyIDWFdN_AeXiD2ixQIj861FMqozHTWKJ7G1T6fmX8MBALmH-3tCJ15utFvUUSE/s640/IMG_4270.JPG" width="478" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewLP5aRi8wmbUSwmHrxlCmfAVRAqPS6VEJFV5AZ0dMu8kHgKCEXyo0N91FezXnjBjsG86SjwEmab59-aN23-yEcMI3bvMiFyAYIxbikphPmdy89tLtkGZ3bsKPtERlEaxozd_rqcbkKw/s1600/IMG_4281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewLP5aRi8wmbUSwmHrxlCmfAVRAqPS6VEJFV5AZ0dMu8kHgKCEXyo0N91FezXnjBjsG86SjwEmab59-aN23-yEcMI3bvMiFyAYIxbikphPmdy89tLtkGZ3bsKPtERlEaxozd_rqcbkKw/s320/IMG_4281.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Despite the enthusiastic presentation of his ONE birthday present (can you guess what it is?!), he wasn't really interested, much to the chagrin of all the young onlookers.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qi-aSR7j8ijKGp34QzFl2dgTXJb7kXLu7pDqtQ7s-TKSTX3qNi8hVpUeHJx1Xhwt4PtvnN4u2XK0Wvj2UQMeErubQc_PIongcu30wPdmvbLDCoJoHj0IaGSF0X5naAa4zNn9G2t6T6A/s1600/IMG_4285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qi-aSR7j8ijKGp34QzFl2dgTXJb7kXLu7pDqtQ7s-TKSTX3qNi8hVpUeHJx1Xhwt4PtvnN4u2XK0Wvj2UQMeErubQc_PIongcu30wPdmvbLDCoJoHj0IaGSF0X5naAa4zNn9G2t6T6A/s320/IMG_4285.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am just so happy that this little guy is ours.</div>
The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-42341617415887256972015-01-25T19:45:00.001-08:002015-01-25T19:45:07.596-08:00Never Say Never<div style="text-align: right;">
December 8, 2014</div>
It was a beautiful fall day. The kids had promised Dad theyād get ALL the
leaves raked. He got home and it wasnāt done, so after dinner, despite the fact
that it was already dark, they donned headlamps and went out to rake together. A
thin little stray cat came up and mewed pitifully. Being the tenderhearted
people they are, they just <strong>had</strong> to get her a bowl of warm milk.
She lapped it up so quickly that they just <strong>had</strong> to get her
another. And some food. They played with her and adored her and named her.
āStarryā after the starry night on which they discovered her and her black fur
with a few little white specks. I was appalled, knowing that the cat would now
be hanging around begging for more. Indeed she did. She lingered right by the
door step and slipped inside repeatedly when I wasnāt vigilant enough to get
past with the two little ones and hauling Oli in the car seat. Elodie kept
warming up milk while I wasnāt looking and sneaking food to the little stray. Oh
dear. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Tg3gtrTCI7-4ZIycPWPTn3deFMU84ACRCEoqNcaSd2rXyd6_bomeoHBtRAn5PFQZYoZMQx_d5tFZOHe5hTSw8UOw8O9whxBNm-ADfVluCdYcCWqcCbOi6AYUfwmwZ0NqvSVyVxKumvI/s1600/IMG_3252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Tg3gtrTCI7-4ZIycPWPTn3deFMU84ACRCEoqNcaSd2rXyd6_bomeoHBtRAn5PFQZYoZMQx_d5tFZOHe5hTSw8UOw8O9whxBNm-ADfVluCdYcCWqcCbOi6AYUfwmwZ0NqvSVyVxKumvI/s1600/IMG_3252.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
Dad and the kids began begging me to let them adopt her. The fact that Iām
allergic was not enough to deter them; sheād be an outside cat, they assured.
Please, no, I have enough little creatures to take care ofāadding a pet to the
mix is just too much. Five against one, they kept trying to wear me downāno
fair. Oh dear.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZ33rkKMWZFTSr5w5LN2XKuw8lMFfow6NEsKjcH-1WqplgGUyuUQ-QuTQgtZSkMsZDSlc3y8ixUxdAP8qerJjTBQncc8jm36fF-mZ_cn56m22Te8fcMFl-BHuUtiRWACH1DD557vzkZc/s1600/IMG_3167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZ33rkKMWZFTSr5w5LN2XKuw8lMFfow6NEsKjcH-1WqplgGUyuUQ-QuTQgtZSkMsZDSlc3y8ixUxdAP8qerJjTBQncc8jm36fF-mZ_cn56m22Te8fcMFl-BHuUtiRWACH1DD557vzkZc/s1600/IMG_3167.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
But I had hopeāwe were going to Texas for nearly a week for Thanksgiving.
Surely sheād get tired of mewing at our doorstep and find some new stomping
grounds. Then we wouldnāt even have to discuss the issue. We came back from
Texas and I think it only took her a day to notice our return and pick up where
she left off. Elodieās love and commitment to Starry only increased. Aaron felt
that we were doing the poor cat a disservice by not feeding her real cat food,
and decided we had to make a real decision about the poor little creature: adopt
or send to the pound. We held a family counsel. I shared my very logical reasons
and doubts and concerns. The āAdopt Starryā side was not swayed. I shared my
deep-seated emotions: owning a pet is simply not how I was raised and I donāt
want to, at all! The emotional climax led to a sobbing Elodie running upstairs
shouting, āBut I love Starry!ā Oh dear.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRH1xMaBf5vmDRFFBmgiD_NcCpRHiEP9N7SppfVeTMxe90reQ-LB6tE625OacxZU7CDbsgbo8KwLWq14BWsQ3IL7LSTJic60poN7rA-jUbUJH-AYUGSei9CjnpOVjlge7hQvdlLvuu6Q/s1600/IMG_3249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRH1xMaBf5vmDRFFBmgiD_NcCpRHiEP9N7SppfVeTMxe90reQ-LB6tE625OacxZU7CDbsgbo8KwLWq14BWsQ3IL7LSTJic60poN7rA-jUbUJH-AYUGSei9CjnpOVjlge7hQvdlLvuu6Q/s1600/IMG_3249.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
After letting the emotions cool down, Aaron shared with me his concern that
without a pet, our children may end up with a hole in their heart where the love
of a pet should have been. Like the cold, dark hole I apparently have in my
heart. He spoke of the unconditional love he felt from and for his pets as a
kid. He spoke of the tenderness of taking responsibility and caring for another
creature. I conceded that if Elodie and Xander could commit to fully take care
of it without reminders from me and with the commitment to save up their own
money for her cat food, then I would be willing to seriously consider it. And
then the clincher from Aaron. He said that he thought that Xander and Elodie
should talk together, make a decision, and pray about it. How could I disagree
with that? Oh dear.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzWY63Ve_nMNbg3tOyW5ZBUy_5kE047gZPRz9tbcYRKGhI0beXp73KzmcqB1IKaEV_eXq6tDuywhIUDNLWfA35YtP_-58viO4eEX1IDpHCC-4Zwa07JXcJZwQG5EbsN30U0_R9EPdETA/s1600/IMG_3251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZzWY63Ve_nMNbg3tOyW5ZBUy_5kE047gZPRz9tbcYRKGhI0beXp73KzmcqB1IKaEV_eXq6tDuywhIUDNLWfA35YtP_-58viO4eEX1IDpHCC-4Zwa07JXcJZwQG5EbsN30U0_R9EPdETA/s1600/IMG_3251.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So Xander and Elodie agreed to discuss, decide, and pray. I was feeling
pretty relieved, because once money got involved in the discussion, Xander
decided that heād rather save up for the fun stuff he wanted than spend all his
money on cat food. What a relief! Their wise father reminded them not to decide
too hastily, but to think about the poor cat and consider what was right, not
just what they wanted. After a couple of days, Xander and Elodie reported to us
that they had prayed about it and felt the right thing to do was to commit to
Starry and take on the responsibility of caring for her. Well, well, well, now
the Dahleās have a cat. Oh dear.<br />
<br />
Somehow it feels like Iām not being true to who I was raised to be. These
Fillmores donāt own cats. Come on. I loved the way I was raised, anti-pet
sentiment and all, and I guess I had subconsciously wished to raise my kids the
same way. Strange how I feel like Iām losing a part of me. The primary president
came over for a meeting and Starry tried to follow her in. She asked me if
<strong>our</strong> cat was allowed to come in. I had to tell her it wasnāt my
cat. Itās Xander and Elodieās cat. I think Iām the kind of person who doesnāt
worry about what other people think, yet I couldnāt let her think that
<strong>I</strong> have a cat! No way! Not me! <br />
<br />
To wax philosophical a bit, in Sunday School in Iowa, the teacher was
speaking of how Jesusā friends and neighbors in Nazareth largely rejected him
because they were brought up with him. It was so very hard for them to let go of
their long-held notion that he was just a normal poor kid that they grew up
with. Because it was so very hard to let go of those notions they grew up with,
they missed an opportunity of a lifetime. This whole cat ordeal has caused me to
realize how many strong-held notions I cling to so tightly. I more than many, I
presume, since I have been called the ātradition Naziā by some who know me best.
Perhaps what Iām supposed to learn from this cat ordeal is to let go, to open up
to other good possibilities that I had ruled out. To never say never.<br />
<br />
Iāll never own a cat. Iām allergic. I donāt like them.<br />
Iāll never have a gun in my own house. That would be terrible.<br />
<br />
Iāll never marry a hunter. You choose who you marry, so you can choose not to
marry a hunter, right?The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6187039509283586409.post-44372989955872936802014-08-24T14:43:00.001-07:002014-08-24T14:47:41.946-07:00Settled<p>We moved 3,500 miles across North America. </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ARcuKFRJcxs/U_pcWrsFfrI/AAAAAAAABTA/H7y_xVvFlZs/s1600-h/north%252520america%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="north america" border="0" alt="north america" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-edRzeeEW_b0/U_pcXmqaxPI/AAAAAAAABTI/aPkncKlilck/north%252520america_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="428" height="430"></a></p> <p>Searched for the perfect house with land in the country. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-V0IqllO95i4/U_pcYANMQaI/AAAAAAAABTQ/fHxxuImmSE0/s1600-h/IMG_2574%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2574" border="0" alt="IMG_2574" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-UzE08OmtLrY/U_pcY52vodI/AAAAAAAABTU/hJScHsDOTsw/IMG_2574_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="653" height="488"></a></p> <p>Bought a great 120-year-old house with lots of character and a small yard in town. (This picture shows it in 1912, when it was 20 years old.)</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fexd0KjKyEE/U_pcZgkb8gI/AAAAAAAABTg/EwFrfWVzM78/s1600-h/IMG_2595%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2595" border="0" alt="IMG_2595" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-R8Zqj4E61dM/U_pcaaM6jHI/AAAAAAAABTo/nFCS0_cosIw/IMG_2595_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="648" height="484"></a></p> <p>Unpacked boxes. Tried to get organized. Made plans to build lots of shelves and custom built-ins to someday truly get organized. </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rn44TnaJfV4/U_pcbPCbfZI/AAAAAAAABTw/ce7o64w56Ys/s1600-h/IMG_2600%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2600" border="0" alt="IMG_2600" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rdT4HBkRUEM/U_pcb0n3xDI/AAAAAAAABT4/ET9Fh-duXMs/IMG_2600_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="646" height="483"></a></p> <p>Sent the kids off to their first week at a new school. </p> <p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbL__j1ic3_jUSX0GdRAGqQ032So13HM6bLkY7-BHhk3ZCova9tX66-PN9iFqTu7uNFw8YOqDyxkDs7Pi6Net9TryKuZs_ntf1lBXAJzHj9nOg4GYjroMNVa01sHYTE1VPuGQj4F0n1UY/s1600-h/IMG_2580%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2580" border="0" alt="IMG_2580" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-u2NDWXi89MQ/U_pcdnu-ntI/AAAAAAAABUI/kS5sFxG7t_M/IMG_2580_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="492" height="658"></a></p> <p>And with that, Iāve finally started to feel settled this week. Settled enough to do things that I havenāt done in months, like baking bread and making pizza from scratch. And things I may not do for months because we are about to be unsettled again by the arrival of a baby boy.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-v8cVdqIW1lM/U_pceQ47SHI/AAAAAAAABUQ/9FK662-ylOw/s1600-h/IMG_2599%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="IMG_2599" border="0" alt="IMG_2599" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-j3eWtPO8gxc/U_pce6C7f9I/AAAAAAAABUY/SpaEpskQXK8/IMG_2599_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="493" height="661"></a></p> The Dahle Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08623484462212378204noreply@blogger.com9