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A blurry iPhone photo is all we got today... but the most important thing is that we got Dad back home! Now for the recovery/time zone adjustment. We'll go easy on him.

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I've made a version of this pasta twice this week (made some slight modifications including the addition of bacon). Call it a craving... but it was so good, & the perfect way to use some of the asparagus from our Bountiful Basket. Gavin didn't feel great today... no symptoms really, just not himself. So we kept our outings to a minimum (2 scheduled visits turned into doorstep visits). I painted Ellie's nails for the first time ever today (hot pink), and thus added another new word to her vocabulary, "pretty."

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Gavin's second week at Taekwondo, and he's breaking (foam) boards! Fun. After yesterday's doctor's appointments, Gavin was reveling in the fact that he doesn't have to get any more shots until he turns 11! I can't even think that far ahead... 10 weeks until baby d-day, 4 weeks until Memorial Day weekend, 2 days until Darin comes home... that's more my speed.

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Ellie had her 18-month well-check today, and I had a regular monthly check-up. We both got poked twice... Ellie had a shot & a heel prick, and I had blood drawn for the glucose test and a Rhogam shot. Ellie is now 32.5 inches tall (75th percentile!) and 19 lbs 8 oz (<3rd percentile). She's our skinny Minnie. As long as we're giving stats, I've gained about 20 pounds so far and have been feeling great! This pregnancy, like the other two before, has been pleasantly uneventful (knock on wood!).

116/365

Yesterday we had lots of wind, thunder & lightning, rain much of the day & even a little hail, but today was clear & just a little chilly. We spent some time in the back yard, picking up fallen branches & sticks, swinging, and even got in a little hopscotch.

115/365

Writing practice. Gavin did his name page in about a minute--he really doesn't need the dotted lines anymore, so I suggested he write out the alphabet. He took on the challenge and did pretty well. When he got to a letter that didn't come to mind immediately, he'd run to the frig & find the magnet of that letter to give him a reminder. Interesting that he can identify all of the letters, looking at them, but he sometimes needed a little visual to conjure up some in his mind before writing. I think this will become our new focus of writing practice... should probably get some lined paper too.

114/365

Happy Easter! We had Stake Conference today, and it was packed! We were able to find 2 seats on the back row of the gym, and the kids did great, all things considered. Since it was a broadcast from SLC (to 48 Stakes in Western Idaho), it was nice & dark, so Ellie was pretty content to just cuddle in my lap most of the time. We heard from Paul V. Johnson, M. Russell Ballard, Rosemary Wixom & President Uchtdorf--a mini General Conference! We were home shortly after noon & had a nice, relaxing day.

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We had an Easter egg hunt in our backyard this afternoon. Gavin loved it, of course, but Ellie hardly wanted to step foot outside because the sprinklers were on in the common area by our yard (they just started watering this week). In all fairness, she had just woken up from a nap, but she cried when I brought her outside, and instead was content to grab the few eggs within 5 feet of our back door, and run back in after each one. We may need to have a repeat egg hunt tomorrow, sans sprinklers.

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Not the best picture, but it was dark, and I tried to lighten it up... Ellie slept in today until about 11:40am! She had woken up at 6:15 for a drink of milk, as she sometimes does, then went back to sleep. I took this around 11:30 because I just could not believe it... she's not sick--must be having a growth spurt?? She still took an afternoon nap too!

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Today was a super busy day for Gavin... He had to miss his Simple Machines Lego class today, because his preschool had a field trip, combined with the morning class at an earlier time. We went to Zamzows, a garden store, that also sells pets. They got to see & pet many things (ferrets, gerbils, bunnies, etc.). Next was Kindergarten registration where he met the Principal & some of the Kindergarten teachers, who tested him on different things. Here's Gavin passing his eye test perfectly! After that, Gavin started a new Taekwondo class. Looks like it'll be a fun one! We had McDonalds for dinner, then Gavin & Ellie had a babysitter while I went to a Stake meeting.

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Gavin's friend, Jaxon, came over to play today. They bowled, played with monster trucks, wrestled and did some swinging outside. Here they are after swinging with some requested hot chocolate... it was chilly out there!

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The Japanese cherry trees in front have blossomed--we have "pink popcorn," as Gavin says. Also funny today, Gavin was playing Lego Star Wars on the Wii, and explaining something to me about it. I was probably only half-listening, because Ellie started mimicking me saying, "I see!... I see!... I see!"

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We took Darin to the airport this afternoon, gave hugs & sent him off from the curb. Ellie is such a cute hugger. She gives a tight squeeze and pats on the back... then sometimes she'll lean in for a kiss, lips puckered with a "mmmmmm" sound. It's pretty sweet. Darin will have about a 6-hour layover in San Francisco before his flight to Hong Kong leaves at 1:00am Pacific... but this was the latest available flight out to SF. Boise's airport is not exactly the most efficient.

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Today we had an early Easter celebration since Darin's going to be in China next week. He arranged for the Easter bunny to come to our house last night, so Gavin & Ellie woke up to some Easter baskets! The Easter bunny did good... in addition to a little candy, Gavin's had a size 3 soccer ball in it, and Ellie's had a new bubble gun--she's very into bubbles these days. We talked about the real reason we celebrate Easter. The first couple times, when we asked, "So WHY do we celebrate Easter?" Gavin would say, "I can't remember..." After the third time going through the details, he could answer our quizzing correctly. I think he could tell we weren't going to  change the subject until he got it! Tonight we colored 8 Easter eggs--it went fast, but the kids & I will be lucky to eat that many hard boiled eggs... especially with Darin leaving tomorrow! We'll be deviling some for sure, but I'll probably be googling for other ideas... small batch of potato salad maybe?

106/365

Unfortunately, the best photo taken today... but it's a photo! Gavin started Soccer Tots today--a 6-week class for 3-4 year olds that teaches soccer skills (we took video, but no pictures). He was probably the oldest one in the group of 8, and because of that (and some natural talent of course), he was the most coordinated & definitely the best at following instructions. As a result, he was praised a lot ("Good Gavin!") & pointed out as the example to follow a few times ("Can everyone do the soccer stance, like Gavin?"). It'll be good for him. For dinner, we tried a new restaurant that opened up right next to Darin's work: Ling & Louie's. Here's Gavin starting on his Chicken Lo Mein bento box (he insisted on using chopsticks). We don't always get kids meals at restaurants because there's usually more than enough food to share with our two kids, but the entrees we chose were both spicy, so we figured it'd be a good idea, and it was... Gavin & Ellie ate it all up!

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Today we went to a preschool age storytime at the library, all about letters. One of the suggestions they had was to make letters out of playdough. When we got home, Gavin got out the playdough & started working on it... guess what his first letter was?

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Here's Gavin at his Simple Machines class--today they built sail boats & sailed them in water, providing their own wind power by flapping a large plastic bin lid. Gavin was welcomed back to preschool by his teacher today with a big, "Gavin! We missed you!" He said he told his class all about his fun trip to South Carolina.

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We got right back into the swing of things today--Darin back to work, and I helped at a RS luncheon for the senior sisters in our Stake (while the kids played at a friend's house). Our ward was in charge of the meal this month, and since I was gone, my counselors & a few other helpers had done all the shopping, prep & cooking, and I just showed up today to help set up & serve. It turned out great! We had broccoli cheese ham & potato soup in bread bowls, a yummy green salad, and coconut paradise bars with a huge strawberry on the side for dessert. This is one of the leftover "bread bowls." It's actually a large hamburger bun from Fuddruckers. I photographed it with the penny for perspective, but it's still hard to tell how huge it is (over 6 inches in diameter & almost 4 inches tall). Can't imagine eating an actual hamburger that size!

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It was sprinkling, so Gavin & Grandma ducked into a doorway and waved to us from across the street. We were on our way to the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry. Fun place! after that, it was still raining, so we went home to finish packing up & let Ellie have a little nap. On our way to the airport, we stopped at Brusters (an ice cream place we used to frequent in Augusta & Columbus) and the mall playplace to get some energy out before the flight. Mom & Dad saw us off at the airport around 4:00, and after a layover in Chicago, we made it to Boise around 11:00pm. The kids did great--Ellie slept the entire 2nd flight. We had a wonderful trip--so glad we went. Thanks Mom & Dad!

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 Last full day in Charleston... we went to Charles Towne Landing, the site of the first settlement in the area, back in 1670. Here, Gavin is bowling (nice form!) outside the "Indentured servants home." We also got to go on the replica ship that sailed from there to Barbados for trading supplies, and see the Animal Forest which had sea otters, puma, elk, deer, bear, etc. It was all really nice--after walking around the grounds, we especially appreciated the air conditioning of the visitor's center! Later, we met back up with Mom & Dad for another round of mini golf at a different course (Gavin and I each got a hole in one!), then we had a late dinner at Los Arcos, recommended by Mom & Dad. We joked about going to SC to eat Mexican food, but it was delicious--we had Carne Asada tacos, & Darin said it could have been his favorite meal of the whole trip!

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Today Gavin & I went to the singles ward's Sacrament meeting at 11:00 with Grandma & Grandpa while Darin stayed home to let Ellie have a nap. At 1:00, we all went to the Crowfield (family) ward's block. They are both nice wards, and you can tell that Mom & Dad are appreciated there. When we got home, we ate some delicious tortilla soup that Darin had made during Ellie's nap, and he'd made enough to last Mom & Dad a few more meals! Later, we took a couple of walks. One was just Gavin, Grandma & I around the apartment complex & through the "dark forest" as Gavin called it, while Darin & Dad watched some more of the Masters. Later, we all took a longer walk to see the lake where Grandma & Grandpa often spot some big alligators. They live in a beautiful area.

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Today was probably the warmest day we had in Charleston--upper 80's. We ventured out to the opening day of the Charleston Farmer's Market right downtown in Marion Square (between King & Meeting Streets). Darin got some pickled carrots that reminded him of some he'd had on his mission, but other than that and a bottle of cold water, we didn't buy a thing. Gavin got to jump in a bounce house for a bit, and we made the rounds, walking faster sometimes to get to the next strip of shade! Next, we drove to John's Island & had lunch at the Tomato Shed Cafe and shared a southern meal of crab cakes, shrimp with tomatoes & peppers, grits, cheesy squash casserole & tomato pie. Very good, but definitely not low-cal! Very near there was the famous Angel Oak tree. There's some confusion as to its age--some sources said over 1500 years old, but a sign right there said 300-400 years. Either way, it is amazingly huge. It was losing some leaves, falling like rain while we were there, and it was very peaceful & a little cooler. After that, we tooled around some shops in Mt. Pleasant while Mom & Dad went home to take care of some business, make some fudge & catch some of the Masters (guess who did what).

98/365

 

Today was a marathon day--one picture cannot do it justice! We started out at Hominy Grill for breakfast--a Gibson visitors tradition! Next we went to the South Carolina Aquarium, the Fort Sumter museum, then to the beach on Sullivan's Island. We had such high expectations for Ellie's first time at the beach, since Gavin had loved it so much when he first went (at 11 months old), but it was not as we expected. Ellie was not a fan... at all. There were also tons of dead jellyfish on the beach from a big storm they'd had on Monday (that's what Mom & I are checking out in this photo). Gavin still loved it, and enjoyed racing Grandpa down the beach. You'd think that'd be enough for one day, but after that, we went to Fort Moultrie, THEN played 18 holes of mini golf & ate some Napoli-style pizza for dinner!

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Today we went to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia (about an hour and a half drive). We'd gone there years ago, when Chrissie, Vince & Riley visited us in Augusta. Riley was 14 months old at the time, so we're talking 14 years ago! Ellie got a good nap on the way & on the way back. In the evening we went to a park near Mom & Dad's place & enjoyed the beautiful weather and the sunset.

96/365

Our first full day in Charleston, we slept in while Mom & Dad went to teach their Institute class. When they came back, we headed downtown, grabbed sub sandwiches at Harris Teeter, and took them to eat at Waterfront park near the Pineapple Fountain (which we did not get a picture of!). We got to swing on the pier and watch some big ships go by. It was breezy and a bit chilly in the shade! After that, we walked through the Market (and wished later that we'd gotten some Charleston t-shirts for the kids), then checked in for our horse carriage tour. We had 45 minutes to kill, which we did at Ben & Jerry's. The horse carriage ride was great--it was a route we'd never taken before in our 3 or 4 previous times doing it back in the day (there are 4 routes total, assigned at random by the city when you start your tour). Mom & Dad had to leave for an Inservice Meeting that evening, so we stayed downtown awhile longer, then stopped at the mall on the way home to let the kids play at the playplace, and we ate dinner there at Jason's Deli. Mom & Dad didn't get home until about 10pm--they are dedicated! That was about the extent of their commitments for the week though--they pretty much cleared their schedule for us!

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Our travel day started at 8:45am when we left our house. We first flew WEST, to LAX, arriving at noon Pacific time. Then the long flight from LAX to Dulles in Washington DC, arriving at 9:00pm Eastern, followed by our last leg, Dulles to Charleston, arriving late, just after midnight. Mom & Dad insisted on meeting us there. It was great to see them! After we tucked Gavin & Ellie in, we visited until about 2am. We'd chosen the last row for each flight, and the kids did great thanks to iPhones, the iPad, snacks, books & some little toys. It was Ellie's first flight ever, and she especially liked looking out the window.

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Yep, Gavin's going to need a new bike!

We spent most of today packing for our trip to Charleston. Excited!

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We so enjoyed all the Conference sessions this weekend. Whenever one of the First Presidency or Twelve Apostles spoke, Gavin tried to find him on these sheets, and put a marker down to keep track.

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In between Conference sessions today, we attended a Star Wars event at the Library called, "How to be a Jedi." Gavin learned a lot, made a Yoda finger puppet, went through the obstacle course and enjoyed some "Yoda soda."

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April Fools day! I put a drop of blue food coloring in the bottom of Gavin's cereal bowl, so when I poured the milk, it was wonderfully blue. He loved it! I then went back upstairs to get ready. Later, when I went to get my own cereal, I found all the cereal boxes empty. Gavin clued me in--Darin had taken out the plastic bags of cereal & hidden them in the closet under the stairs. Then, when I got the milk, the WHOLE gallon was colored blue, thanks to Darin! Gavin loved being in on the secret trick.

This picture from the park later today shows Ellie's fantastic climbing skills... She's a dare devil!