tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941646415109146772024-03-14T11:14:26.803-05:00The Lamps FamilyLamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-7987871702779231412015-11-01T07:49:00.004-06:002015-11-01T07:49:59.806-06:00Let's start again with HalloweenI have not done anything with this blog in more than a year. When I first put it together, I looked for opportunities to write on it. I changed the background and elements on it for the different Holidays. I had opinion polls on it and was interested what others thought about the question I put up. Just like scrap booking, I let it get away from me. I have thought I would just catch up on things, but the thought of that just made me say, "I will do it later". Of course, it never got done later. So, instead of catching up on posts that have been happening over the last year, I have decided to just start with Halloween. <br />
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You would think my kids would be done with Halloween. Nope! Not in the least! They have always loved it! When they were younger, they would start planning Halloween for the next year while they were trick or treating. This year was no different. <br />
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Now they all went their separate ways. We have gone past the days where mom and dad stand by the street while we watch them go up to each house and hope they say Thank you to each person that gives them candy. They have friends and parties and more trick or treat fun and they did all the this fun in the rain. It was pretty quiet for Jeremy and I while we were waiting for all the kids to come home from their tricks and treating. Just like when they were little, they came home, spread the candy and the trading and swapping began. <br />
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Megan was Prince Hamlet this year. She has had this Honors English this semester that she really enjoys and they have been reading some Shakespeare. I believe she enjoys it. I was able to take the kids to the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City Utah this last summer. We saw Taming of the Shrew, which she also enjoyed. Megan has always been one to find the deeper meanings so literature and Shakespeare is a good place.</div>
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Emilee's favorite Disney princess is Ariel, from The Little Mermaid. Last year, I had a friend help me make Anna and Elsa costumes for Megan and Emilee. Emilee was hoping that this year, my friend and I could make the Ariel, "Kiss the Girl" dress. Well, my friend is busy this time making costumes for the drama dept at the high school. I didn't want to bother her. I thought I might be able to sew, but I really am not a sewer at all. I decided to piece it together. This is what we got. I, myself think it turned out quite well. She looks like Ariel to me even with the big bow in the hair. I just want to know where Prince Eric is.</div>
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Hunter wanted to be something scary. I was trying to get him to be a super hero or something, but no, he wanted to be scary. He was so proud of this scary scarecrow. He does look a little creepy, doesn't he? I think I prefer the face under the mask. Much better.</div>
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Well, that is it. I hope that everyone had a fantastic and safe Halloween. I also hope that this is the beginning, once again of many new entries. Until next time.....Happy Halloween!</div>
Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-86168603532089102992014-09-13T19:36:00.001-05:002014-09-13T19:36:40.828-05:00Soccer once again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hunter's first year playing soccer was last year. All three of my children have wanted to play soccer, but Jeremy hates it and has always said no. He hates how much commitment that there is for it. I finally got him to say yes to Hunter because we put him on the Redstone team, which is the army base here. It is a more relaxed team and so Jeremy seems to be OK with it. I even think he enjoys watching, even though I don't think he would ever admit it. Well, Hunter is now on his second year playing. Today he had his third soccer game of the season. They lost again, but they are getting better. They held it together really good until the end. The problem is there is only 8 on the team and so they never get to sub anyone. They are constantly running the whole time. By the end, they get pretty tired. The other teams always have plenty of subs. That is OK. It looks like they are having fun and so that is what is important. They are getting better. Hunter had a hard game today though. Twice he got hurt. Once he took the ball hard right in the gut. He likes to play defense better then offence. I think it is because he doesn't have to run as much. Until the next game..... </div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-47889293229328008972014-08-30T11:00:00.001-05:002014-08-30T11:01:19.300-05:00She got her red belt!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Emilee has been taking Taekwondo since she was 8 years old. So, she has been at it for about 4 years. Today, she became a red belt. At one time all three of my children were taking Taekwondo. Hunter being the first, then Megan and finally Emilee decided she wanted to. (She had no interest at first) Then Megan decided it wasn't for her, Hunter didn't like the hard work but Emilee stayed. There are days when she doesn't want to go and times she gets pretty frustrated when she is there. For the most part, she enjoys it and is glad to go. She has stuck with it and worked hard. She has been to tournaments and done well. The next belt after red is black. She wants that black belt and is determined to get it. I am proud of her. Keep it up!</div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-84951829037868114712014-08-14T19:49:00.000-05:002014-08-14T19:49:28.682-05:00First Day of school -- August 2014<br />
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Not sure if you have noticed, but I have made many posts today. Just trying to catch up. I used to be so good at blogging and then, I don't know, things happen. Life just gets so busy. So I decided to catch us up briefly on what's been happening this year. So this is my last post today and hopefully, I will try to stay more in touch with my blogging skills. For this last post we will talk about the first day of school. School started here early this year because they gave us back our Fall Break. Woo-Hoo! Some people say they would rather have a longer summer break and forget about Fall Break. Not me. I love Fall Break. It is a great time for traveling and even if you don't want to travel.....man, the weather is just perfect to have some good old fashion family fun. Needless to say, I was very glad for the shorter summer break. Besides, my kids were really ready to go back to school. So let's start with Megan,<br />
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Megan is hitting a milestone this year. I huge one. She is starting high school. Yep, that's right....high school. I am still in AWE. I still can't wrap my brain around that. I swear, it was just yesterday when I dropped her off at her kindergarten class in Las Vegas. That makes me a mother of a high school student. It's just weird I tell you. She also hit another milestone. She started seminary this year as well. In our church, when kids get to high school, they also take a seminary class first thing in the morning before school starts. This is a chance for them to really dive into the scriptures and get a good understanding of them. Megan was not sure she was for this. She thought it would be like going to church every day, but I think she sees it differently now. She seems happier this year and I think that may be do to opening up the day with thoughts about our Heavenly Father and keeping that with her for the entire day. She seems to have had some good days this year. I hope and pray those days will continue.</div>
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So I put this on facebook on the first day of school. I wanted to show how crazy it was that I had this high school student now. Though, she did make a very cute kindergartner. </div>
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Emilee is also starting a milestone this year. She is now starting middle school. Seventh grade. She gets a locker, a rotating schedule and I even let her start wearing some make-up. She now tells me she needs a cell phone. Hmmm. Not quite Emilee, but maybe soon. She has been enjoying herself. Though she already has had to change lockers. Somehow her locker kept jamming up and so I had to go up there and ask them to change her locker. I have to say, it is a beautiful locker. It has wall paper up, a rug, magnets, mirror, whiteboard and even a chandelier that lights up. Megan didn't want hardly any of that stuff when she started middle school, but not Emilee. She wanted the works. Why not. Maybe I can get her to take a pic and I will post it for ya. Anyway, she is doing great and having lots of new and fun experiences.</div>
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Hunter started fifth grade. This is the first year he gets to change classes. He has Math and Science with his homeroom teacher and then has Reading and History with another teacher.(With whom I just love. She also taught Megan and Emilee in the Fourth grade) I of course am a little worried about Hunter this year. He doesn't speak up too much in class and this is the year where he really needs to speak up and let them know when he doesn't understand. He will also have to work harder this year then ever before. He is growing up and it is time to start being responsible for his own learning. He is a good kid though. He has enjoyed things so far as he has not had any homework yet. </div>
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So that's it. That is the first day of school. Three great kids with aspects of a great new year. They will do great this year and I know that they will have many many successes. I am so proud of them already. They beautiful, kind, smart and talented. It will be a very AWESOME year.</div>
Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-17839578502668657272014-08-14T17:25:00.004-05:002014-08-14T17:26:04.918-05:00Louisville, KY - July 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A big family vacation was not in the cards this year. We have been saving our money to go to Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida. Our plans are to go this October for Fall Break. Jeremy does a lot of working out of town and was going to Louisville, KY. He asked us to come along this time and make it a kind of mini vacation. At first the girls were going to go on this big zip line there that is in an underground cave, but at the last minute, they decided to go to the amusement/water park. That was right across the street from our hotel. Hunter didn't want to go. He had plans to hang out with some friends here and keep his grandma company. </div>
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It was quite and eventful day. Hot, very hot. Emilee didn't want to go on the scary rides with Megan and so she was frustrated, but by the end, Megan finally got Emilee on a log ride. Emilee loved it and couldn't get enough of it. By then though, it was too late to go on the other things. The park was closing. Oh well. Hopefully she will have more courage for our trip to Florida in October. The next day, I did some shopping with the girls and we met Jeremy and had Cheesecake Factory. They have never eaten there and hope to eat there again real soon. I think they liked everything about it....especially the cheesecake.</div>
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It was a short trip. Every time we come home from a trip to KY, we always stop at one of the caves. This time it was the "Lost River Cave". I think I would like to visit the area again. There was a lot more I would have liked to see of it.</div>
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It had a butterfly habitat there. It was fun to be in the middle of all the butterflies. Very beautiful. I highly recommend this place.</div>
Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-31507634199432048092014-08-14T16:55:00.000-05:002014-08-14T17:12:51.650-05:00Alabama Sports Festival June 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Emilee has been taking Taekwondo since she was 9 years old. She is now a blue belt with three stripes. That means that the next time she tests, she should be a red belt. The next belt after that is black. She really likes it. Of course there are times, she doesn't want to go, but for the most part, she likes it a lot. This is the third year in a row that she has participated in the Alabama Sports Festival in Birmingham, Alabama. It is a little like the Olympics, but on a state level. Most of the time she competes in sparring and forms. She always does really well in forms, but she gets very frustrated when she competes in sparring. This year she decided to take a break from sparring and try board breaking. So she competed in forms and board breaking this year. </div>
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In forms she did AWESOME! She came in first place. She was extremely happy. Board breaking was another story.</div>
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They don't really focus a lot on breaking boards in her class. She had only tried it a few times and the boards were a lot thinner then this. She found out, because she was 12, that she had to use the thicker boards. She panicked a lot. She became very nervous. Even though people assured her that the boards break very easily. Still, she lacked experience. I told her, I wasn't going to make her do it, but she did anyway. I was very proud of her. She did so well on the first board. (You break three). The other two, she just couldn't do and she hurt her foot. She came in second though. So not bad for a first time.</div>
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I guess I am a mean mom. I made her smile for a picture anyway. Though this is right after. She is not up for smiling too much.</div>
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She did a little better here.</div>
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Afterwards, we went for ice cream by the river and let her soak her sore feet in the cold water. She cheered up quite a bit.</div>
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Hunter stayed with a friend who lives in Birmingham now and Megan came down with us. She was a trooper. I know that she really didn't want to go and was bored out of her mind at the competition, but she came to support Emilee and for that, I am very proud of her. She is a good sister.</div>
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<br />Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-17167465765739820102014-08-14T16:32:00.001-05:002014-08-14T16:57:20.559-05:00May Birthdays 2014<div style="text-align: center;">
So, by now you should know that the end of month is like Christmas for us. All three kids have birthdays in the same week. So of course it began with Megan. </div>
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I actually didn't get to be with Megan on her birthday. This is the third year I have not actually been with Megan on her birthday. Globals is always during her birthday. So the first year I was at Globals with Emilee, then the next year Megan was at Globals and then this year I was at Globals with Emilee again. It will probably be like that again if either one of them wins next time also. So, she celebrated with Jeremy, her grandma and Hunter. As you can see, they gave her cinnamon rolls.</div>
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She turned 14 years old today. It is very hard to believe that she is really that old and that I am old enough to have a fourteen year old. I am still in denial. This year instead of going out to try and find something for her, Jeremy gave her $100 in cash. I guess when she opened the card, she thought it was just a $20 until she opened it more and kept counting 20's. She was quite surprised.</div>
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Hunter was next. He turned 10 years old this year. I took him and a few friends ice skating on his request. Two of the boys had never gone before. They struggled at the beginning but they made it through and actually enjoyed themselves. Afterwards I took them to the pizza place called Stevie B's and let them play some games. It was a very easy birthday for me.</div>
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Of course he also had to celebrate with the family and his favorite dinner is Pesto pasta. We call it green spaghetti.</div>
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And ever since Hunter had a GiGi cupcake, he now has an aversion to frosting and just wanted a batch of brownies instead. Again, pretty easy!</div>
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I can't believe my youngest is 10 now. Man, the time does go by fast.</div>
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And then finally, the last birthday is Emilee. She turned 12 this year. Maleficent came out on her birthday and asked if she could take a few friends to go see it. How could I say no. Another easy one for me. Here they all are in front of the movie theater all sweet and cute.</div>
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And this is how we moms see them. Crazy, crazy and more crazy.</div>
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After the movie, I took them to get frozen yogurt. I sat at the next table and pretended I didn't know them. I think they all felt big. </div>
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Emilee also celebrated with the family. Her favorite meal is chicken and rice</div>
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...and she has no problem with frosting. 12 years old and going to middle school. She will be my girly, girl all the way. She loves clothes, nail polish, make up and shoes. She never thinks she can have enough shoes. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Happy Birthday kids! Hope your year is fantastic!</b></span></div>
Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-46194665616994682182014-08-14T15:59:00.003-05:002014-08-14T15:59:53.972-05:00Sixth Grade Graduation for Emilee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Emilee is finally out of sixth grade. Talk about excited. She was so happy! She couldn't wait to hit middle school.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T7Uz4-0I8LWvnQ2OiJC13mI3RI35BXUFBjkg_sGH4pyhRlOj289ZUu8zp1eQB_FiaBBOuapUb00iL60erRXygSSnXER_tATWFU3pKb7QksLXZSJJkKL36-a83vKq5KZP8sF3OFwbIeA/s1600/IMAG0619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T7Uz4-0I8LWvnQ2OiJC13mI3RI35BXUFBjkg_sGH4pyhRlOj289ZUu8zp1eQB_FiaBBOuapUb00iL60erRXygSSnXER_tATWFU3pKb7QksLXZSJJkKL36-a83vKq5KZP8sF3OFwbIeA/s1600/IMAG0619.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUjT2rLqtMonvVcaapUwNJtWq7xCIxaOsbK2kxkz2kUKZQCX_qS4iS5QgyR_bw1Lrl1RmpCn51UgtKjwSBvvQaJNyxTuP6cpE56Q8Wenbm0hNWF9__5KBfmJcU_0-KVgrzYeO7wWXL-8/s1600/IMAG0620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUjT2rLqtMonvVcaapUwNJtWq7xCIxaOsbK2kxkz2kUKZQCX_qS4iS5QgyR_bw1Lrl1RmpCn51UgtKjwSBvvQaJNyxTuP6cpE56Q8Wenbm0hNWF9__5KBfmJcU_0-KVgrzYeO7wWXL-8/s1600/IMAG0620.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1wVKtuwjoamLhyUI_dHSRNIebj3_kG6_vlOiIkg123HsH9VxzVlsoS1Az_u3XRWNiiglEzmlJqn8h8DlprwjJ1oOug0lNQmypWr4sAzR4ild9RzcW7D0Q59Po1wksWkiiOL8BeeQHL8/s1600/IMAG0622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1wVKtuwjoamLhyUI_dHSRNIebj3_kG6_vlOiIkg123HsH9VxzVlsoS1Az_u3XRWNiiglEzmlJqn8h8DlprwjJ1oOug0lNQmypWr4sAzR4ild9RzcW7D0Q59Po1wksWkiiOL8BeeQHL8/s1600/IMAG0622.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Of course all the sixth graders are. They are more then ready for a little more independence.</div>
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Emilee will make a great seventh grader.</div>
Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-84296422554925079362014-08-14T15:50:00.000-05:002014-08-14T16:00:10.929-05:00Emilee-- Space Camp 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRZ3rAd2YPjWmiO0hrOs4w7wRWYvaym0zUn8kWa8qaPyAe0pce_TIDl0r5V9k6BT3Ezpv9LCom_wabiRazjbN52PYiQQZAbqcie5-Zugk7KqHOoTzkR9GlqxScdCEwq4uaiQvU_FGupE/s1600/IMAG0573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRZ3rAd2YPjWmiO0hrOs4w7wRWYvaym0zUn8kWa8qaPyAe0pce_TIDl0r5V9k6BT3Ezpv9LCom_wabiRazjbN52PYiQQZAbqcie5-Zugk7KqHOoTzkR9GlqxScdCEwq4uaiQvU_FGupE/s1600/IMAG0573.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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So, in sixth grade around here, the kids get to go to space camp for a school field trip. Even though this is an expensive field trip, it is cheaper then if we were to do it on our own. Megan went when she was in sixth grade and now it was Emilee's turn. She was especially excited because in fifth grade she was suppose to do Camp McDowell and I had to pick her up because she had caught the flu. So she was not missing this for anything. This is drop off.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFeLWBZ6sUryIMnV_K_6rCRvWuPvb5aabPTbLf-k7w-yqAeFYcSu1IllVN41s0WUl20avEnngB29O0F_qVTIl_pV-piqHeFOlUiocmxgjoCkXMf5UWoViYnkTwOkMUWJjaJGdGcjWibw/s1600/IMAG0575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbFeLWBZ6sUryIMnV_K_6rCRvWuPvb5aabPTbLf-k7w-yqAeFYcSu1IllVN41s0WUl20avEnngB29O0F_qVTIl_pV-piqHeFOlUiocmxgjoCkXMf5UWoViYnkTwOkMUWJjaJGdGcjWibw/s1600/IMAG0575.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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This is the outside of her dorm room. She was excited to room with one of her best friends.</div>
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This is the inside of the dorm room. She had lots of adventures during the day. Hated sleeping there. She said she was really cold and the beds were not comfortable at all. She also got some kind of rash there. Who knows. She has sensitive skin. And they had a fire and had to evacuate one night. Even with all that, she still had a great time.</div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-89290961689247245742014-08-14T15:20:00.000-05:002014-08-14T16:00:31.470-05:00Destination Imagination 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Once again I managed Emilee's DI team. It was quite the year. We had a team of 5th and 6th graders this year. As much as I wanted them to do Challenge D: The Improv challenge, I couldn't get them to do it. Megan's team decided they wanted to do Improv and this is the first year that Emilee was put in the same age group as Megan and so she didn't want to compete against their team. She convinced everybody that would be a bad idea. They went with Challenge B: The Scientific challenge. They had to create gear that would get them out of a bad situation and help the survive in that extreme weather environment. Emilee's team this year was called Warning:Extreme Danger. In their story, they found themselves landing on Jupiter, fighting against Alien squids and trying not to be sucked into the Great Red Spot. Guess what? They survived. It was quite the story.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPhxeLIWicqyJ2N5U9A5rWZYsLvSgNl-TwBVEFKjVlat2vtxCcSeeRZW9izPT1-ebJAmmS7dq60XYOZGyboXHbyWfAId4F6QRJIaR5-By68F1BveqP8IQ2eX1IvPit4QZzBNT2EVYeGU/s1600/IMAG0396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPhxeLIWicqyJ2N5U9A5rWZYsLvSgNl-TwBVEFKjVlat2vtxCcSeeRZW9izPT1-ebJAmmS7dq60XYOZGyboXHbyWfAId4F6QRJIaR5-By68F1BveqP8IQ2eX1IvPit4QZzBNT2EVYeGU/s1600/IMAG0396.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OlR6yJ_fpOiDOvVqV8PYrXGfmiVtRg3FqzHQRbQ5X6ckAf-OGOsKJ4wh9id7uKGBiRrSrDFM13TWmy0GRkUHjpkFe270O7DMFQiXhGUuczQVRZfx0OgRNJFxN3NBhObQM4T1lyihFg0/s1600/IMAG0406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OlR6yJ_fpOiDOvVqV8PYrXGfmiVtRg3FqzHQRbQ5X6ckAf-OGOsKJ4wh9id7uKGBiRrSrDFM13TWmy0GRkUHjpkFe270O7DMFQiXhGUuczQVRZfx0OgRNJFxN3NBhObQM4T1lyihFg0/s1600/IMAG0406.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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At Regionals they came in first place. This is indeed an accomplishment. They were by far the youngest team going against Middle Schoolers. Megan's team also got first place in their Improv challenge.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJD9wvz5LsOnRn-J3aoVPqF0nD63497CFfpQSf5xrLFPs3hK06KRrAHTB3OC53GQTU4rhhflkbKNB-LH3hhRoH5ZEjvP-tONb8E7FgW-UNh0Jr2YDvfhH_EnHlQm7WVkGJ248os6iNKsM/s1600/IMAG0473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJD9wvz5LsOnRn-J3aoVPqF0nD63497CFfpQSf5xrLFPs3hK06KRrAHTB3OC53GQTU4rhhflkbKNB-LH3hhRoH5ZEjvP-tONb8E7FgW-UNh0Jr2YDvfhH_EnHlQm7WVkGJ248os6iNKsM/s1600/IMAG0473.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Megan's team at Affliate. They did a great job. They got second place.</div>
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Emilee's team at Affliate. They did a fantastic job. I thought for sure they would get first, but they also came in second. </div>
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So with my two second place winners, I thought.....Whew..No Globals this year. I can relax. Then it came. A first place team had dropped out. They pulled out a team randomly from the second place winners and guess what? ....Warning: Extreme Danger was that team. Well, of course they were just excited and so the fundraising begins. We did a lot of fundraising and with that hard work, everything was paid except for $175 per team member. Not bad for a $900 bill for each team member. So onto Globals we went. (Remember...Globals is where the team competes against the whole world. That tournament is always in Knoxville, TN.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVHDy_pG8szcsPrwCJvs7fxQnFAbKdhqWhf8II7WG8xvMQTtTxcQqunjSiECEPZWfEDBxtsMyWRqz14kaZXAosbyZRkYKf0rIangcd61Nd_m_LCawsEtep_9bGHeMfcfyD3dkovtjF-4/s1600/IMAG0627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVHDy_pG8szcsPrwCJvs7fxQnFAbKdhqWhf8II7WG8xvMQTtTxcQqunjSiECEPZWfEDBxtsMyWRqz14kaZXAosbyZRkYKf0rIangcd61Nd_m_LCawsEtep_9bGHeMfcfyD3dkovtjF-4/s1600/IMAG0627.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here we are, ready to go. They were excited!</div>
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I signed the team up to have a buddy team. I thought that would be a fun experience for them. Their buddy team was from Romania. I had hoped they would get to visit with them more often, but our schedules were very different, and it just didn't work out. The kids exchanged t-shirts and gifts and loved it anyways.</div>
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Here are some highlights of our trip above.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVoe1sgn6CUZueF7DADYs8uFbAXG_hXs_5-RGehSaaazdQ9D_t_a8D63eqMHsKfj6d8rHEwo3sHztJ8aupbS3ZHD6ANvhbH1g_1bOCPFOiQvk_UoEzHkMhHK96WmqcmIpCAQOfcyOYEc/s1600/SAM_4490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVoe1sgn6CUZueF7DADYs8uFbAXG_hXs_5-RGehSaaazdQ9D_t_a8D63eqMHsKfj6d8rHEwo3sHztJ8aupbS3ZHD6ANvhbH1g_1bOCPFOiQvk_UoEzHkMhHK96WmqcmIpCAQOfcyOYEc/s1600/SAM_4490.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was a great trip. The kids were fun and got a long well. They did awesome! Next time, Emilee will be at the middle school and under a different group. It means a whole new learning experience for the both of us.</div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-17660556052563341262014-08-14T14:02:00.004-05:002014-08-14T16:00:51.881-05:00Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkm9mMsSbR2yWI1SOjYlovMh5f8p8ZTEzdJG22qJdEVpEG7qpI6w7vE7LwltqmhuD68OMotAtEeS86bbGcuewPV3pTBaCoy1nMsSwbNuttTDbTYcA_PRwHIMH46_iNgGVVyFFuq9pzoMU/s1600/IMAG0521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkm9mMsSbR2yWI1SOjYlovMh5f8p8ZTEzdJG22qJdEVpEG7qpI6w7vE7LwltqmhuD68OMotAtEeS86bbGcuewPV3pTBaCoy1nMsSwbNuttTDbTYcA_PRwHIMH46_iNgGVVyFFuq9pzoMU/s1600/IMAG0521.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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Once again the Easter Bunny made an appearance. I think next year, the Easter Bunny might be just a little more conservative. Sometimes, he just can't help himself. Darn Easter Bunny.</div>
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Down below are the kids dressed up and ready for Easter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBe-Q0iWoiqxe8ZbzKZ-lFI4Bjk5chGdaDGemMFa5ovNcSrdt9JMAGru0D4mM9aU-HU-9WpWbwqZIfdhLPDvQNTcvb8b2HewkHXw8YszShf_IMtK4vrsas5l1VOHdLViPxCSpdappf04/s1600/IMAG0531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaBe-Q0iWoiqxe8ZbzKZ-lFI4Bjk5chGdaDGemMFa5ovNcSrdt9JMAGru0D4mM9aU-HU-9WpWbwqZIfdhLPDvQNTcvb8b2HewkHXw8YszShf_IMtK4vrsas5l1VOHdLViPxCSpdappf04/s1600/IMAG0531.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bUXlVOPljOSlbJZPrdnzdMoqvR1fzWQZHwP3AMHb-EweLfFuwbaN5ad-N7yqZzOIGxqsiS3ayKRa0sCTNusEQTqd62uaf0ZZ_TJEMqSOCZ-w_obOQhhT909AyPYXMy5j0wUdr2fqBME/s1600/IMAG0534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bUXlVOPljOSlbJZPrdnzdMoqvR1fzWQZHwP3AMHb-EweLfFuwbaN5ad-N7yqZzOIGxqsiS3ayKRa0sCTNusEQTqd62uaf0ZZ_TJEMqSOCZ-w_obOQhhT909AyPYXMy5j0wUdr2fqBME/s1600/IMAG0534.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Megan</i></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Bkj6skpiRtN9s1zICp0EhsXfT7xfAa01gh6MxGo2ctorruTrVeauqGjXfmvz2NS_NyAHms-wmnZJEAwdwJsSd3kHea_lOOb5fgUPybLHQ3SxmZ39Nx1BDySSZdawcOBvEQ3djA9h17E/s1600/IMAG0523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Bkj6skpiRtN9s1zICp0EhsXfT7xfAa01gh6MxGo2ctorruTrVeauqGjXfmvz2NS_NyAHms-wmnZJEAwdwJsSd3kHea_lOOb5fgUPybLHQ3SxmZ39Nx1BDySSZdawcOBvEQ3djA9h17E/s1600/IMAG0523.jpg" height="640" width="358" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCW4SBEyqJdZJnxogsQHsY3_xEyKCrGVCdtw3H3dABnGS2cWGoi3en4nlsfNRbSN3CAInJWCRFWmBGpBltEALmEu_JKhl0XeRW9_vo64tYml3SptaRAm-ftAr3fLyt4BIpqSRolZQ92Y/s1600/IMAG0526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCW4SBEyqJdZJnxogsQHsY3_xEyKCrGVCdtw3H3dABnGS2cWGoi3en4nlsfNRbSN3CAInJWCRFWmBGpBltEALmEu_JKhl0XeRW9_vo64tYml3SptaRAm-ftAr3fLyt4BIpqSRolZQ92Y/s1600/IMAG0526.jpg" height="640" width="358" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Emilee</span></b></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpDL8OdieFFDLrfKJvn1WsYMYZ30qIRclhT5hmBX5Fy6tqLYE3Ggsv2y6zB9J0QJvpBB7loEVS6Sp1QFiVVajuS5smaCTdhZxiBq6JLFJzcbiKcxeh5PD-aBK37D9fvuFPM3WN1umgM4/s1600/IMAG0535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpDL8OdieFFDLrfKJvn1WsYMYZ30qIRclhT5hmBX5Fy6tqLYE3Ggsv2y6zB9J0QJvpBB7loEVS6Sp1QFiVVajuS5smaCTdhZxiBq6JLFJzcbiKcxeh5PD-aBK37D9fvuFPM3WN1umgM4/s1600/IMAG0535.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOzonskb0iT1yW7UJRT1hoxQEF8AOiEqUUOPrTkFXCv8Q4aemKHKyYpXJPw2DuCdYSKw0f7nlpf9W2LRqZygOY1j7LL6IoN74Qsf3AfLIJ11AxcIM1I2cefVt4mgkQkOmGA3iin1TwTE/s1600/IMAG0536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPOzonskb0iT1yW7UJRT1hoxQEF8AOiEqUUOPrTkFXCv8Q4aemKHKyYpXJPw2DuCdYSKw0f7nlpf9W2LRqZygOY1j7LL6IoN74Qsf3AfLIJ11AxcIM1I2cefVt4mgkQkOmGA3iin1TwTE/s1600/IMAG0536.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hunter</span></b></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf317jDrrO1-5YX0pyLoqoNDJAyPIFnhlFPv-RLSiBsnJdotBH4oAHBHIP_Kcb1AVvKwS-aePR4gEuGTAp-cjbf1tSsPygba0amQ4m7DOe9BvH49EjcFmAcagaY0kgy70ciWjpDGwYV8k/s1600/IMAG0545_1_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf317jDrrO1-5YX0pyLoqoNDJAyPIFnhlFPv-RLSiBsnJdotBH4oAHBHIP_Kcb1AVvKwS-aePR4gEuGTAp-cjbf1tSsPygba0amQ4m7DOe9BvH49EjcFmAcagaY0kgy70ciWjpDGwYV8k/s1600/IMAG0545_1_1.jpg" height="640" width="546" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Yep, I have beautiful children!</b></i></span></div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-4198242130577373702014-08-14T13:36:00.003-05:002014-08-14T16:01:20.016-05:00Wicked in Nashville<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fRIoR_nq6WUZBXdvlnEd_tOquoyk76cIyU9DDotRvBA1kYkSJ5r07bMTXzkjC30Nu3hSJ0WM2GgWnPK2-2bt45fSJ_uWSE8G7GyCLxFkU-LCwuNZyvAWsTUGV6mbZbQQ4QH9n-0bOnU/s1600/IMAG0446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0fRIoR_nq6WUZBXdvlnEd_tOquoyk76cIyU9DDotRvBA1kYkSJ5r07bMTXzkjC30Nu3hSJ0WM2GgWnPK2-2bt45fSJ_uWSE8G7GyCLxFkU-LCwuNZyvAWsTUGV6mbZbQQ4QH9n-0bOnU/s1600/IMAG0446.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #741b47;">In March I was so excited to take my girls to see Wicked in Nashville. So many people, told me all about the show and how great it was. I tried to see it in New York City twice. Both times, it was just way to expensive. Friends said, it is so worth it, but I don't care what show you are watching. $200 a ticket, $400 for the pair, is just not worth it. So patience. I knew it would come to me. Woo-Hoo, my friend Kyla said let's go and so we decided to take our girls. Best day. It was a great show. Still not worth $200 a ticket, but a good show. The seats were high up, but we all had a great time and the music was wonderful. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0zNRghoKOw_hT4patUWk7wvK7G4BvfDUchC8bFIwoSABc-ZCFscQamrjWD7ytVZ4xWdPLdXVpWikiVUDdlT3La3feuUZxUl8UFJjJEdqu2mLzjfLkJu4bvqtz_3p1ZTMFITh-mM4AUg/s1600/IMAG0450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_0zNRghoKOw_hT4patUWk7wvK7G4BvfDUchC8bFIwoSABc-ZCFscQamrjWD7ytVZ4xWdPLdXVpWikiVUDdlT3La3feuUZxUl8UFJjJEdqu2mLzjfLkJu4bvqtz_3p1ZTMFITh-mM4AUg/s1600/IMAG0450.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #741b47;">It is now one of our favorite sound tracks to listen to. I think watching this made Megan want to get on the stage even more. Since going to the show, she has expressed a stronger desire then ever to pursue this goal. She loves to sing, she loves to be on stage and she loves to act. </span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"> So would I recommend seeing wicked? Ya, definitely. If it is coming to your city, for sure go. You won't be disappointed. </span><br />
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-74888082186929953692014-01-03T17:17:00.000-06:002014-01-03T23:19:29.968-06:00It'a been way TOO long and Happy New Year! Holy cow! I can't believe it! I use to be so good at this and couldn't ever see why many of my friends never updated their blog. Well, I fear that I may have joined the dark side and let my blog slide just a bit. I remember the days when I couldn't wait to do something with the kids, my husband, my friends or even just me, taking pictures and blogging about the whole event. I bragged to others saying, "What a great way to keep your journal current." Well, dark side... I am going back to the light. No more. I really am going to try better and keep up the blog and staying on top of things. For the most part, I enjoy blogging and I don't know how I got so far behind. Well, I could tell you what happened through most of 2013. This could be a novel of some sorts, but not going to happen. I am starting fresh. I could tell you about Emilee competing in the Alabama Sports Festival with her killer Taekwondo skills and receiving 2nd place in forms and 3rd place in sparring. I could tell you all about our trip to Florida and the time we spent at Pensacola Beach. I could go into telling you about the lighthouse that we climbed the many many steps to get up and learning that it is the most haunted lighthouse in America, the boogie boards we used and the dolphin cruise we took. I could also tell you all about Hunter and his first year playing soccer and all the fun he had playing defense. I could also tell you all about Megan and how she has been taking some acting classes, tried out for "The Christmas Carol" and loving her new found talent of singing in the choir. I could go into Halloween and how Megan was the Queen of Hearts, Emilee was an angel (while one of her best friends was the devil) and Hunter was a Mad Scientist. I could also go into tell you about our yearly trip to the pumpkin patch and Lyon's farm and how much we still like going there. I could tell you all about those things, but I think I will just keep you guessing about all that stuff and we will just start with Christmas. That is always a good place to start.<br />
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Ahh, Christms! What a season it is. This is our fifth Christmas here in the Huntsville Alabama area. I never thought I would live in the South, but I have to say that after six years I have to say that I like it. We had quite the Christmas this year and as always, I probably went a little overboard. I can't help it. I really do try to say that I will be conservative, but I just have so much fun. Of course, after all was bought and taken care of and we were settling down for the holiday, the Lamps' Christmas traditions could start. First up: Making cookies for Santa and those sneaky Pajama Elves.<br />
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It doesn't matter how old the kids get. Making cookies for Santa is always something that they look forward to. Yes, even Megan. She swears at 13 that she doesn't care, but I think she does. I think she still likes it all and I hope that even when she is 18 years old that she will still love making cookies for Santa. This is the first time that I haven't frosted any. I let them do it all themselves. We usually leave six for Santa (2 each of their most favorite that they decorated) and then the rest are for us.<br />
And how can we forget about the sneaky pajama elves. I don't know if they come to your house at all, but every Christmas Eve, pajama elves ring the doorbell and leave brand new pajamas for the kids to wear to bed that night. They never get caught. Go figure. One year though, we will catch them one year.<br />
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Christmas Eve we try to remember our Savior. Sometimes we have a quick lesson about our Savior and sometimes (like this year) we have something just a bit longer. This year is was the Christmas devotional that is given by the church. We didn't get a chance to see it this year, but Jeremy had recorded it so we watched it on Christmas Eve. We read the Night Before Christmas, open one present and soon after that, the kids were up in their beds with thoughts and dreams of sugar plums dancing in their heads.<br />
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Hunter started our Christmas morning off. He was excited to get Swap Force which is a crazy game on the Xbox. That was by far his favorite, but he also got magic tricks, a pogo stick, and a Sega handheld game of some sort. Of course that's not all, but those were the favorites.<br />
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Emilee is our piano player and what do you give a piano player? Well, a keyboard, why not? She plays it all the time. Emilee mostly wanted clothes and let me tell you, she got a ton. That is my fashion deva for ya. She also was the one who found the pickle on the tree that Santa hid. That means she got to open the pickle present. She was very happy about that. I believe she has only found it once before. (In our family, we leave a pickle ornament out for Santa to hide and the one who finds it, gets to open the pickle present. It is usually for everyone, but the one who finds it, gets the pride and opens the present.)<br />
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That leaves Megan. She got one of the coolest things this year. She got an electric guitar with amplifier and a program to help her learn. Why not just get her a teacher? I suppose money and time. Not enough money and running out of time. Though, Megan has had 4-5 years of piano, I believe if anybody can teach herself, it would be Megan. She has a knack for musical notes. She just has to put in the time and discipline to do it. I think she likes it though, it is just a matter of sitting down and doing it.<br />
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That pretty much is Christmas in a nutshell. Jeremy got a fire pit for the back deck, Bunny got a huge mirror for her bedroom and me.....I got the best toy of all, a brand new Cameo Silhouette. If only I knew how to use it.<br />
Now here we are....2014. I am full of resolutions and promises that this is going to be the best year yet. Come back often and find out. Happy New Year, Everyone!!Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-91922970444815859412013-06-18T20:28:00.003-05:002013-06-18T20:34:39.397-05:00It's Birthday Time again.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yep! It's that time of year. Once again......Birthday Time! I have been blessed with three children and we are so lucky that all three kids have their birthday in the same week. Sometimes it gets a little crazy in the month of May, but we make it through. Actually, it seems as they get older, it gets easier. I can't believe how time flies. Megan, Emilee and Hunter all celebrated another year older. That makes Megan 13, Emilee 11 and Hunter 9. It is just crazy. So here it goes. This is what we did in the month of May.</div>
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CRAZY! I now officially have a teenager. Oh my GOSH! That is just nuts. When I sit and have time to think about it, it just blows my mind. How could this happen? This year on her birthday, Megan was in Knoxville, TN. She was there for Destination Imagination Global Competition. Her and her team were competing against teams from all over the world. A few days before she left, we took her out to dinner and ice cream with a present from her family. I am so mad at myself. I usually take pictures of these great moments, but it just slipped my mind. Just know that it was a wonderful night. We went to Famous Joe's Pizzaria for dinner and Baskin Robins for ice cream.</div>
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I happened to be in Pigeon Forge with Hunter at this time, but through the various texts I got, she mentioned that it had been the best birthday ever. Her and her team mates designed dresses out of duct tape to attend a Duct Tape Ball and then after the dance, they went for milkshakes. The picture above shows the team and their creativity with duct tape. I am so glad that she had a wonderful birthday.</div>
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Emilee had a slumber party this year. As you can see, it was ice cream theme with lots and lots of fun activities. From what I could tell, it was a hit.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">So many activities for the night. They started the night with Tie Dyeing t-shirts and then they made their own pizzas for dinner. While their pizzas were cooking they did Karaoke and then Emilee blew the candles out and opened some presents.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Then because it was an ice cream themed party we had to have an ice cream sundae bar and let's just say they went a little nuts with the whip cream. They burned off the ice cream by dancing to Dance Dance Dance Revolution on the X-box and jumping on the trampoline.</span><br />
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Finally it was time to quiet down and get some sleep. Whew! That is what I call a party. We had waffles in the morning and they all took home an ice cream container full of goodies, a tie dyed t-shirt and an ice cream sundae glass. </div>
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Because all three kids are usually the same week as Memorial Day, if they have a birthday party, we have to do them a couple of weeks before.(To many people go out of town) I would say Emilee had a great day on her real birthday day. She invited a friend to join her and she got her ears pierced and we all went and pampered ourselves with pedicures. What a day! By the way, Emilee is 11 now and that floors me just as much as Megan being 13. </div>
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Hunter had a huge surprise. On the last day of school, as soon as he got off the bus, I took him over to his friends house. There he learned that we were picking up his friend and his friend's mom and going to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge right then and there. He didn't believe me cause he didn't have anything packed. Of course I packed the car while he was at school. Finally when they were packing the car he got clued in that we were indeed leaving right then for Dollywood. What a great birthday for him. This is his suprised but I don't believe it is today face. HA! I love it!</div>
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It was a very fun day. Though I have to laugh at the two of them. They were to nervous to go on the big rides, but they had a blast anyway.</div>
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The next day we tortured the boys while the moms shopped at the outlet mall. So not cool. Don't worry. They did something fun after lunch. They wanted so much to go to this Magic Quest place, but the moms weren't to big on that idea since it was too expensive. We finally convinced them(like they really had a choice), to go to Wonderworks. They had a blast there. It is quite the place with tons to do. I strongly suggest going there if you are in the area. They did things like a ropes course, rock climbing, laser tag and even laid on a real bed of nails.</div>
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Happy Birthday to all my children! You are the best kids and I hope you all have a wonderful year. Until next year........</div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-38965192881905575342013-04-08T17:36:00.001-05:002013-04-08T17:36:25.100-05:00Some catching up to do.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What can I say, I use to be really good at keeping up the blog. In fact, I found enjoyment in coming up with things that I could put up, taking pictures when I could and praising my kids whenever I wanted to. Let's just say that I have been pretty busy and finding the time is a lot harder then it use to be. Many things that I usually have had tons of time for has not happened. Anyway, I had a few minutes today and so I thought I would sit down and try very hard to catch up without boring everyone too much.</div>
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First up is Megan. A few months back, like right after Christmas, I received a phone call from Megan's art teacher at Discovery. She said that Megan would be receiving an award she sent in to the Reflections program for some drawings that she had entered. Her drawings would be going on to compete against the whole state of Alabama. Megan loves to draw. She always has, but she has a definite style of her own. She is probably influenced most by the Anime world, but what she does is quite nice. I try to encourage her to branch out and maybe someday she will, but for now she does very well and is very creative in the style that she has.</div>
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Emilee has been taking Taekwondo for some time now. It started with Hunter, then Megan and Emilee soon joined not long after. Megan was the first to quit, then Hunter, but Emilee has stayed with it and seems to love it. She does really well and many times I am quite impressed with what kind of kicks she produces. Well, she has had her yellow belt for a very long time. Mostly because the class seems to do more of their testing on Saturday morning and Emilee's mom can't quite always get there. Though many times we do have things on Saturday morning that we have to do as well. </div>
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Well, we were there. Emilee had two green stripes and usually you need three green stripes to promote, but she was hoping so much to go up the belt because of how much time she spent on yellow belt. Woo-Hoo! Congrats Emilee you made it! Green belt it is.</div>
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Next up for Emilee in the Taekwondo world is a tournament in June. It is the Alabama Sports Festival that takes place in Birmingham. It is like going to the olympics and opening ceremonies is even televised through out Alabama. Last year Emilee placed third in forms and sparring. I am so excited what she does this year. I am sure she will do fabulous.</div>
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On to DI News. Destination Imagination. It has been a fun year. This year they called their team Creativity Creators. I am still the team manager over her team. I think I am stuck. As long as Emilee wants to do it. I am probably still always going to be the manager. They have improved tons this year. Emilee's team this year chose the improv challenge. It was very competitive. When we went to Regionals there were nine teams competing. Emilee's team got first and were moving on to State. </div>
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Megan is now at Discovery Middle School, but her team is pretty much the same as well. Their team this year goes by DMS Disco Divas. They did the challenge that we did last year. Challenge B which usually has to do with some science energy thing , creating a device that goes with that and creating a skit around it. They also got first and went to State as well. </div>
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Next up: EASTER</div>
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We have been here now in Alabama for five years. It has been awesome. Awesome people, most the time some good weather and I would call this home. Jeremy thinks he is putting in for a position in Atlanta. Though I want to support him and hope for the best with him, if he gets it, it will be very sad to leave. I went through all the Easter pics I took while we have been hear and put them together. My beautiful children are growing up so fast.</div>
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Megan is almost 13 now. Can you believe it. Next month she will be 13 years old. I swear it went by so fast. She is so beautiful and has so many wonderful qualities. I know now that the next 5 years will go fast and that scares me. I suppose this is why I don't mind taking and picking her up from school these days, instead of the bus. More time for me to talk to her.<br />
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Emilee looks very retro to me here. She is so funny and so easy to tease. She makes me laugh all of the time. She has some good friends and they seem to love her so much. Again, she is going to be in sixth grade soon. Unbelievable! I have always said that Emilee has the best qualities of my other two kids. She kind of is like a little of both of them. And she loves to shop so me and her together are a little dangerous.</div>
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Hunter is my baby and will always be my baby. He is very lovable and he loves to trick me all of the time. He is going to be nine soon and going into the fourth grade. WOW! I mean, how can that be! It is not possible. He is so goofy all of the time, which makes me laugh and he is the one of mine kids that is always on my side first. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> On to DI again</span>. Since it has been so long since I have blogged anything, our DI team was due to go to state at University of Alabama Huntsville. Since Emilee's team came in first at the last competition, they had high hopes of coming in first this time and going to Globals in Knoxville TN to compete against the whole world like last year. They came in third this time. They were very upset, but they have a lot to be proud of . It was the most competitive challenge this year and they do so well. In fact they had one score (Instant Challenge Score) that was the highest of 100. So, no globals for Emilee this year.<br />
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Megan on the other hand will be going to Globals. Her team came in first this year. (They only take first place winners to Globals) It has been a long time coming for this time. Though Megan has only been with the team for two years, the team has been together for four years and this is the first time they get to go to Globals. Hooray Disco Divas!! I watched their challenge/skit. It was Hilarious. They did awesome!!<br />
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(I know that some of you may not know what Destination Imagination is. I have talked about it in other posts from last year. It is a creative problem solving competition that runs through out the world. First you compete against your area, then state, then against the world. If you want to know more about it, just google it and the Destination Imagination site will come up)<br />
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I think that is it for now. I will try and not wait so long to post next time, so it won't be such a long post. Until then........</div>
Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-39839702931261312502012-12-25T21:00:00.004-06:002012-12-25T21:09:55.134-06:00The days before Christmas!<div style="text-align: center;">
This might be a long post with lots of pictures. I use to be good at doing these posts right when these events happened, but for some reason, I forget a lot. So, let's start with the week before Christmas. First up.... Emilee's choir performance. This is the second year that Emilee has been in the school choir. I find this funny because she really hates singing in front of people, but she does like to talk in front of people. The show this year was, "SnowBiz". She had the part of the translator. She translated for a snowboarder who had his own language of talking. She did a good job of course. She looked like she was upset at times. Come to find out, she had what she called her "nervous pee" and had to use the bathroom the whole entire time. LOL...You gotta love Emilee!</div>
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Next up....Ice Skating once again. We had so much fun ice skating last time that we had to do it again. This time though we would bring friends. Emilee brought two friends and Megan brought one. So, we had ice skating, Christmas music in the background and even a small snowball fight with the ice that was kicked up from the skates. </div>
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Emilee and her friends were hilarious. I think they felt big staying out late and hanging around the old ice skating rink. I know I had a blast watching them.</div>
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Megan is really into the cosplay thing. Her and her friend were "My Little Ponies". And I thought they lost interest when Megan turned about 8. She tells me they are different now and much cooler. What do I know.</div>
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Every year we see Santa. This has been going on since Megan was just a little baby. Usually we do it a little earlier, but things had been really crazy this year so we got there just a few days before Christmas, but Santa was still taking orders.</div>
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Megan tells me that she is too old to sit on Santa's lap. She did not want to go, but I told her I needed one more picture and then next year she could refrain. I did compromise with her. This particular Santa, if the child is so upset about seeing Santa, will come around the back and look in the window. Then a picture is taken of the child with Santa in the picture. I told Megan we could do this for her then I still get my last picture of her with Santa and she doesn't have to sit on his lap. I think the picture turned out real cute.</div>
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Of course Emilee and Hunter still don't mind sitting on Santa's lap and are excited at that. Every one told Santa what they wanted, now all they have to do is wait.</div>
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Christmas Eve! I was out most of the day. I still had shopping to do. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute. I told you that this was one of those seasons where things were just nuts. So, usually we start making cookies for Santa around 1 pm. This Christmas Eve we waited to start about 6 pm. Crazy, I know! It got done anyway and we had a wonderful Christmas message and thought about our Savior before they got to open one present. Then off to bed they went with dreams of sugar plums dancing in their heads.</div>
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Christmas Day! I have to hand it to the kids. They waited until 6:30 am to wake us up. Usually it is a lot earlier. It started with Hunter. He noticed that he had the biggest present under the tree and had to open it right away. It was very heavy as he pushed it to the couch and he was glad to see that it was an electric scooter. Can't wait to charge that baby up.</div>
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I have always said that my children will not have a cell phone until they are 16 years old and driving. Woops! I guess I have changed my mind. It is a different world now and I find that I worry a lot more then I thought I would. So many times I have wanted to get a hold of Megan. Now I can. She was excited to see it. Now, it is not a smart phone. Defiantly not ready for her to have one of those, but it does have unlimited text and can get on facebook. She does have rules that go along with the phone, but I am sure she can deal with it.</div>
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Emilee thought for sure she should get a phone too. Sorry Emilee. Not yet, but my guess is you don't have to wait until you are 16 so just be a little patient. Your time will come. She has wanted a camera though and was very excited to get that plus a Hermione wand, Taekwondo shoes, Hello Kitty lava lamp and even a doorbell for her room. I think she will be OK.</div>
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It was a very nice morning with fun presents to open, a great breakfast, a very relaxing day which I took full advantage of and a fantastic Christmas dinner. We are so blessed and had a very wonderful Christmas Day!!</div>
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Hoping that you all had a wonderful Christmas Day and will have a Fantastic New Year!!</div>
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<br />Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-9014223423125317312012-12-01T23:06:00.000-06:002012-12-01T23:06:02.131-06:00Ice Skating<br />
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The other night, I took the kids ice skating. Emilee had gone once before with a friend, but Hunter and Megan had never been. I think for the most part the kids had a blast. They had some ups and downs, but they had fun doing it.</div>
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Hunter had a lot of fun at the beginning. He just took off. They had these walker thingys to help them learn balance on their skates. He just took off slipping and sliding along. He fell sometimes, but he would get right back up. Then he fell once and just couldn't get up for anything. He kept sliding too much. Megan had to help him to the side of the rink. By then, he had enough. I should have been prepared to skate with them, but I did not have the socks on my feet to get skates. I wish I would have gone. Anyway, Hunter has decided that ice skating just isn't for him.</div>
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Megan and Emilee on the other hand had a blast. They started out a little shaky but they were old pros by the end. They took my camera out on the ice and took pics of themselves trying to look like official ice skaters. It was very funny and very cute. I had so much fun watching them. </div>
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I want to take them again, but next time I want them to bring a couple of friends. I think that it will be so much fun. And hey, maybe next time I will even skate myself. It has been years, but why not??</div>
Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-29984333185252375402012-12-01T22:50:00.002-06:002012-12-01T22:50:35.881-06:00That's Right!! Halloween in December!<div style="text-align: center;">
So, I might just be a little slow in getting these Halloween pictures on. What can I say, but sometimes life is just like that. The kids are getting older, but they still love Halloween. They weren't at all what they said that they would be in September. Each chose a very different costume, but they look good, don't they??</div>
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Megan had said she wanted to be Katniss from "Hunger Games". After thinking about it, she decided that if she was Katniss, that was one to many. Her and her friends decided to be Gangsters. Funny. I think though that she made a very cute Gangster. </div>
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She went Trick or Treating with her friends again this year. I think they were hoping to go by themselves, but us parents followed closely behind, trying not to cramp their style. </div>
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Emilee was suppose to be a policewoman. Now last year, I saw this costume a lot, but couldn't find it. Saw the adult version, but that is highly inappropriate for a 10 year old I would say. (Though I think it was inappropriate for a 25, 35 and even a 45 year old.) We were just getting ready to make something up when we saw this costume. Emilee loved it instantly and she made a very pretty Japanese princess. She followed Megan and her friends. She tried to stay back with Hunter and me, but I think she liked hanging around her big sister and friends and they were all good to her anyway.</div>
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Hunter was suppose to be so many different things. He changed his mind all the time. It started out as a banana, then an alien but then we came across the Grimm Reaper and he was sold. He said he wanted to be scary. Death just might be scary enough. </div>
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Poor Hunter didn't get to Trick or Treat very long. He had been suffering from some bronchitis and it acted up that night. He wanted to go home, but we did manage to get him some candy anyway.</div>
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Well, that's Halloween. Done and over with until next year. Hope you all had a fantastic Halloween.</div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-20504102955767305692012-10-22T13:08:00.001-05:002012-10-22T13:10:35.947-05:00Lyons Farm, TN--2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Aw! The feeling of fall. I love it. If it could be fall for six months and then spring for the other six months, this would truly be a perfect place. The last three years, we have taken the kids every October to Lyons Farm. This is just barley over the TN line. Many people around here usually go to Tate Farms, but my kids like Lyons better and so that is where we go.</div>
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The Corn Maze is always the big hit. They usually have two mazes inside. One easy and one more difficult. Of course Hunter just likes getting lost in the maze on purpose.</div>
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Every year it seems like a few more things are added. The chair was a big hit this year</div>
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It was a beautiful day. You couldn't have asked for a better day. </div>
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The pigs are always a big hit. Hunter says he wants a pet pig now. Hmmmm....I will have to say no on that one. They were cute though even if they do smell.</div>
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And of course the rat races. This makes me laugh every time. The kids get going so fast in those circles and then their feet come out under them. It is the funniest thing to watch. I love it.</div>
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It really was a great day. They got their pumpkins, played a ton, ate some funnel cake. It was a beautiful day!</div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-41334270864268870222012-09-11T14:43:00.003-05:002012-09-11T14:50:50.431-05:00New York City 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ah, New York City! The place that they say never sleeps, where fashion is at the utmost important, the home of many of the rich and famous, the theater and food, food and more food. In August, I had the chance once again to go to New York City. Jeremy had yet another class there for work that he needed to take and of course, I needed to come. This time though, I invited my cousin Joanna to come with and enjoy the sites with me while Jeremy was in his class. I did have a good time, though I will admit that it was not as exciting as the first time that I went. It was much hotter and the people.....where did they all come from? Oh ya, the US Open happened to be going on while we were there and the end of summer. I know that Manhattan has a ton of people living there, but there were more crowds this time then when we went in the middle of September last year.</div>
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I did get to do some different things though this time. We got to go to the 9/11 memorial this time. I have to say the fountains where the twin towers were, were amazing. Like before, being down there was humbling. It must have been so terrible to be there while it was happening. Me, who was clear back west in Las Vegas, can't even imagine. It is for sure a place to reflect and remember those that were effected. </div>
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Last time I was in New York, I wanted to walk the Brooklyn Bridge and didn't get to. Jeremy does not get why I even care. I really can't tell you why, except it is a famous old bridge you can walk across and it's free. Joanna got it. We took the subway over to Brooklyn and ate at a pizza place underneath the bridge which always has a line in front of it. Finally, I found a great pizza in New York City. Last time, I honestly didn't see the big deal. I liked this pizza. It was yummy! Melted Mozzarella cheese melted all over it and topped with fresh basil. So Good! After that, we walked back to Manhattan across the bridge. It was quite pleasant. So many things to see I might not have seen before. If you are ever in New York City, I recommend it.</div>
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Let's see what else did we do. We saw a show, "Peter and the Starcathchers", which comes from a book that I have read. It was pretty good, though I don't like how they portrayed Peter. They made him the exact opposite of how he is in the book. We ate tons of food, which I have to say I think I might have had the best gyro from off the street and the most delicious big cupcake. We walked a ton and we even got to see a taping of the David Letterman Show in which before we could go into the studio, they gave us laughing lessons. Now I really am not a huge fan of the guy, but it was cool to see a taping of the show.</div>
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I think Joanna had a good time. We saw some crazy people on Time Square, including the naked cowboy, topless grandma and even a man taking his goat for a walk. Jeremy says he is done with New York. He has no desire to go back at all. He has to take one of these classes every year and can choose various places to take it in. He says next time that it won't be New York. Me, I don't know. I always like the big cities. I wouldn't mind going back, but I do like the fall better then the summer there. Who knows when I will make it back, but if I do, I am sure I will have a great time.</div>
Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-40707285350488089502012-08-23T23:20:00.002-05:002012-08-23T23:20:49.265-05:00First week of school 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was the first week of school this week. This I feel is always an exciting time. How could it not be. New school clothes, lunch boxes, back packs, and all the essential materials to make it a fantastic school year. The kids would never admit it, but I think they were just as excited. </div>
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Hunter is going into the third grade this year. Can you believe it?? I hardly can. I mean he is my baby and I swear I feel like I was in the hospital the other day having him. He so doesn't seem like he is in third grade, but he is. Third grade and up is upstairs in the school so that makes him feel big. He is one of the big kids now. I think I may cry. </div>
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Oh Emilee. She is a big fifth grader this year. She gets to switch classes each school day. She has three teachers. One for reading and language arts, one for science and history and on for math. This will be a different year for her, but she came back the first day loving it. I hope she keeps that momentum. I have already heard from one of her teachers how much they just love her. That is how it always is with Emilee. Her teachers always stop me in the hall just to tell me how much they enjoy her in their class. I have good expectations for Emilee the year. She will do awesome.</div>
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Emilee and Hunter are at the elementary school while Megan is at the middle school this year. It sure is different to see them catch the bus at different times and come home at different times.</div>
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This is the one that really makes me crazy. I just cannot believe that Megan is now in middle school. She is my big 7th grader. 12 years old and has the attitude to match. She has grown up to be a beautiful girl, even though I try really hard to imagine she is still little. It is hard for me to let go. She seeks for so much independence and I try to keep her from it. She for sure has found her individuality and even though I may shake my head and even roll my eyes, I love it. I am so proud of her and I hope she has a wonderful year.</div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-43280050153515647062012-08-21T16:29:00.000-05:002012-08-22T07:27:14.221-05:00Family Reunion -- Las Vegas, NV<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am so behind. Oh well, better late then never. This summer our family drove all the way back home to Las Vegas, NV for a family reunion. It has probably been three years since the last time the kids have been back. Normally I save up for about 6 months and fly. This time, Jeremy was going and he said we were going to drive. I was not looking forward to that. Three days there and three days back. I wish I could say that I enjoyed the drive and I loved seeing the country, but that would be a lie. I did not like the drive at all. I found it very exhausting and tedious. We did make it. Right before the fourth of July. </div>
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I usually stay at my dad's house, but we thought it would be too crowded at my dad's and I thought it would be good for the kids to spend some time with there cousins, so we stayed at my brother's home instead. It was a treat. My sister-in-law kept saying she is not a very good host, but I beg to differ. She was a very good host and it was way fun to reconniect. We spent the fourth of July with there family. We went out to the airport and watched the fireworks go off. The kids rode in the jeep with my brother. They thought that was the coolest thing ever. I don't think they have ever driven in a vehicle where the wind blew through their hair. In the past I have usually been impressed with the firework show that the hotels let off, but not this year. The music they had to it was weird and it was over in minutes. But we had fun spending time together anyway. So afterwards we went and got frozen yogurt.</div>
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My brother has a pool, so the kids were in paradise. They swam everyday all day long. In Vegas, that is a huge treat. My brother likes to scuba dive and let the kids bring out the tank and scuba dive in the pool. He has this cool camera that takes pics underwater. The kids took tons. It was a pretty cool. </div>
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Finally it was time for the reunion. Family was finally getting into town and the festivities were beginning. One day we spent the day up at Mt. Charleston. Now I know some around here and Virginia where we were before think there are mountains and hiking here, but they would be wrong. There are things I like about all regions of the United States, but the West gets it for the best mountains and hiking activities. It was beautiful and the weather was fantastic. Emilee made it too the top first and I think she amazed everybody with her athletic capabilities.<br />
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Of course there was more swimming, games to play, food to eat and talking, talking and more talking. It was good to see everyone. I think I am the farthest away, so of course I am always the last one to know about things and sometimes I think I might even be forgotten about so it was so good to see the family.</div>
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One of the last nights we were there, Jeremy and I decided to take the kids down to the strip to see the lights. They were all born in Vegas and Megan was about 5 when we left. I thought it would be cool for them since I don't think I ever really took them to the strip. I mean I grew up here. What's the harm in that, right? No big deal. Either I am not desensitized any more, things have changed and not for the better or I just am plain more sensitive with the kids around. Probably all of the above. Megan says I scarred her for life. Also since it had been the fourth of July, it was a madhouse. I don't think I have ever seen that many people and it made it even hotter then it was. The kids noticed everything that they shouldn't have and it for sure has gotten worse. Let's just say, our trip down to the strip was not a good one. Oh well. They did get to see some of the lights and attractions like the Mirage volcano, the Bologio fountain show and Caesar Palace, but as soon as we could we left and ended up at 7-eleven for some much needed Slurpees. </div>
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A couple days later we were back on the road. Again, not my favorite thing, but three days later we were home. It was nice. The rest of summer was pretty much just every day life. </div>
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Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-4249105719455676212012-07-13T15:37:00.001-05:002012-07-13T15:37:11.183-05:00Cub Scouts and AL. Sports Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Man, when I first started this blog, I was always on top of it. Too many things to do and not enough time to post. For now, I guess I will start with Cub Scout day camp. Hunter turned 8 at the end of May and is now in Cub Scouts. He is a Wolf. His first experience into cub scouts was day camp. They needed some volunteers to be den leaders for day camp and so that became my job. I have to admit though, I was not looking forward to it. I'm not sure if you realize this, but it gets quite humid here in the summer and this desert rat does not like it one bit. That being said, it really wasn't that bad. Don't get me wrong, I was exhausted and very glad for it to be over by the end of the week, but I did enjoy being with Hunter and many of the boys made me laugh a lot. I probably had the biggest den among the wolf group and considering that, they were really all pretty good.</div>
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We were the Lizard den. We called ourselves the "Leapin Lizards". Of course we had a cheer. It went like this..."Leapin Lizards Rock you... Rock you...Leapin Lizards, Rock you...Rock you..." I think you can guess what tune that goes to. Let's see what are some of the things the boys did. They cooked Hobo meals, sling shots, bow and arrows, bebe guns, made wooden crafts, leather, musical instruments, learned magic, went on short trail hikes, learned about citizenship, played soccer, sword fighting, learned about how to use a compass and the list could go on and on. They <span style="background-color: white;">defiantly had the boys busy. I have to say, I was tired just watching them. I think Hunter had a great time and really, that's all that matters.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">As soon as cub scout camp was over, Jeremy and I had to take Hunter and Emilee down to Burmingham for the Alabama Sports Festival where Emilee and Hunter would compete in the Taekwondo event. It was quite the event. I guess they have been doing this for about 30 years now and is a little like the </span><span style="background-color: white;">Olympics with an opening ceremony and everything. Opening ceremony was even televised on NBC here in Alabama, which Emilee and Hunter both participated in the opening ceremony parade. Kind of cool. See them there holding up the sign right up front??</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Both Emilee and Hunter participated in two events with Taekwondo. They did forms and open sparring. Emilee and Hunter both got third place in forms and Emilee also got third place in sparring.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SK5nnNYoQUltA6_4oUOeQEcE8Aksz8Mtnp2lZPl7C99wwbM5N-APt7bKgDIvELX959HyCWOZd3X1n-FVT2IXN1A8QkBfWS0HH4n04KbgYddvinPIam3TbT0nrTbaGB91LSVRoPy3gWyF/s1600/TKD3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SK5nnNYoQUltA6_4oUOeQEcE8Aksz8Mtnp2lZPl7C99wwbM5N-APt7bKgDIvELX959HyCWOZd3X1n-FVT2IXN1A8QkBfWS0HH4n04KbgYddvinPIam3TbT0nrTbaGB91LSVRoPy3gWyF/s640/TKD3.jpg" width="640" /></a>This was the first time the either of them have competed in TKD. I think it really surprised them. They learned that it is quite fast and very challenging. Both of them had a hard time, but they did so well. I am really proud of them.</div>
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I have more to share. Our family just got back from Las Vegas for a family reunion and so soon I will put those events up. </div>Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-9102130004062416962012-05-31T22:20:00.000-05:002012-05-31T22:20:49.590-05:00Birthdays, Globals and even a baptism all in the month of MayMay has been a busy month. It usually is a busy month for us here at the Lamps home, but this year, it has been even busier. It is the month of birthdays for us. Megan, Emilee and Hunter all have a birthday the last week of May. Why you say did I do that. Well, I just meant to go for the summer because I taught but Emilee and Hunter decided on their own to come into the world earlier then expected. It is a little like Christmas for us here in May. We also had a few other events that happened as well which kept the month very occupied with many many things to do. Because the kids birthdays are at the end of May, birthday parties tend to be earlier because have you ever tried to plan a birthday party around Memorial Day? It is never very successful. Also, they don't all get a party every year. Megan and Hunter get one on their even age and Emilee gets one on her odd age. This was a year for Megan and Hunter so first up is Megan.<br />
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Megan turned the big 12 this year. I can't believe it. My little baby girl is growing up and growing up fast. I swear she can't possible be 12, but she is and she has the 12 year old personality to match. I told her a couple of years ago that if she wanted, when she turned 12, she could have a slumber party. So, that is what she did. She invited 5 of her closest friends and the party was on. What a party it was. She didn't want a cake. She is very much into drawing and reading about these Anime characters so she made cupcakes and she attempted to decorate each cupcake as these characters. I don't think they looked exactly like them by any means, but the girls could tell and had fun with them anyway. <br />
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It was quite the night. Jeremy took everyone camping so that they wouldn't have to be around all these 12 year old girls and it is a good thing they did. I finally told them to calm down about midnight and I continued to hear them even around 2 am which I finally went into her bedroom and said enough is enough, turn all the lights out and go to bed. Finally, it was quiet. Until I had to wake them up the next morning and let me tell you, I had a blast doing that.<br />
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The next week, we had a bowling party for Hunter. We took Hunter and some of his closet friends bowling on the army base. Hunter turned the big 8. Holy Cow! Can you believe it. My baby is 8. Taking these boys out was so different then taking my girls and their friends out. Boys love to make strange noises and talk about strange smells and talk about strange nonsense things. What fun they had though.<br />
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It is so hard to believe that he is 8. He is doing so many things right now. He learned to love to read, he does Taekwondo and is now learning to play the piano. He loves to laugh, but we have learned not to make him laugh too much or there may be consequences and not the good ones either. <br />
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Next up is Global 2012. I have been talking about this Destination Imagination for sometime now. Emilee and her team had the opportunity to compete against the whole world at Globals in Knoxville, TN. It was quite the event. They left on a Wednesday and didn't return until Sunday. Even with all the activities that there were, that might be just a couple days to long for these 10 year olds. Pin trading was the big thing there. All these countries and states had their own trading pins and the kids traded pins like you might trade baseball cards. Some pins seemed to have more value then others and you could negotiate pins. Emilee started with 5 pins, but came home with 34 pins. I would say she is quite the negotiator. This was a great way for kids to interact with other kids from around the world. Emilee met kids from Korea, China, Turkey, Mexico, Guatemala, states like Louisiana, New Hampshire, California, New York and many many other places. <br />
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I felt that the kids not only did great with their instant challenge, but they did a wonderful job on their main challenge. They were one of the youngest groups there and considering this was their first year in Destination Imagination, they have done quite well. Will I do this next year you might ask? I really don't know. If someone else would like to take charge I am all for that and I would help all the time, but if Emilee wants to continue this next year and they need someone to make her team, then of course I would do it for her.<br />
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That brings us to Hunter's Baptism. Emilee and I had to return home from Global one day early so that we would be ready for Hunter's baptism. Hunter turned 8 years old this day and actually was baptized on his birthday. That was just like Emilee when she was 8. He was so excited and looked very sharp and missionary like in his suit. He was baptized with a friend as well and so it was a perfect day. When I asked him how he felt after he said, "I know I should have felt cold when I got out of the water, but I actually felt really warm." I love it when kids make the connection. It was a lovely day and I am so proud of Hunter and the decision he has made. <br />
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Last is Emilee's birthday. She did not get a party this year. She had a party last year, but she had quite the day. She was treated like a queen the whole day with a tiara and everything. When we woke up I took just her took breakfast and then off to get a foot pedicure. She has wanted one for so long. She is my girly girl for sure. She felt so special. I asked her if it made her feel relaxed and she wanted to go to sleep and she said, "No, it makes me feel like I want to do it again." Oh dear! What have I done? <br />
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Earlier she wanted to go to Steak and Shake for dinner and get a large milk shake all to her self, but she decided that she would like to have mom's lasagna instead. I think that ended up being a better day. <br />
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Personally, I like it when the kids don't have birthday parties. I like doing the stuff with them that make the day just a little bit special. It was a great day!<br />
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That brings us to now. May is done and birthdays and special events are over. School is out and Summer begins. Can I relax now? Probably not!Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-894164641510914677.post-4250230570316925602012-04-28T14:02:00.001-05:002012-04-28T14:02:44.562-05:00A Couple of Big Field TripsIt is the end of the school year and Megan and Emilee have been looking forward to some long awaited field trips. Emilee is in the fourth grade and learns all about Alabama History and so every year the fourth graders visit Montgomery, AL to visit the capital and other historic sites. Megan is in sixth grade and finally gets to go to the long awaited NASA Space Camp.<br />
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First up......Montgomery, AL<br />
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I was able to go with Emilee on this field trip. I went a couple of years ago with Megan and I was glad to do it again. It's a fun one to go on. Long, but fun. We started at 5 AM and got home around 7 PM. Emilee was so excited for weeks and weeks. A few days before, I told her and her friends that at the parent meeting they said the trip had been cancelled due to a freak snow storm in Montgomery. Let's just say I was a little afraid for my life. Let me give you some advice. Don't mess with fourth graders. They are a little scary when you tease them about such serious things such as a long awaited field trip to Montgomery AL. Some of the fun things we did, we visited the AL. archives and saw some cool things specific to Alabama. We visited the Capital, the Civil Rights Museum, and Old Town Alabama. We even got to ride a riverboat and eat some lunch on the riverboat. I think the kids liked Old Town the best, at least Emilee did. They take you to different old buildings and have characters dress up as if you were living in that time. The kids have a huge appreciation for their teacher now because back then, they were not nice. As you can see, Emilee had an awesome time, though it did take me a few days to recover.<br />
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And then.....Space Camp<br />
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We moved here when Megan was in second grade. Back then, Megan was very interested in space and swore she would be the first girl on the moon. Jeremy had told her all about the NASA Space Camp and had promised that when she was old enough that she could attend. She had been looking forward to it for some time. Well, since we live here in Huntsville, AL, many schools participate in sending the students to Space Camp for not as much money as if you would have to pay if you went on your own. Schools go at different grades, but Horizon goes when you are in sixth grade. They stay there the whole week and experience it all. At the end they have a short graduation. Megan had a great time, didn't like the food much, but had a great time anyways.<br />
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We have so much to look forward to in the next couple of months. So much is going on. All three kids turn a year older in the month of May, Hunter gets baptized at the end of May, Emilee goes to Globals for DI in Knoxville, TN, Hunter gets to go to Cub Scout Camp, we are driving to Vegas for a family reunion, we have some camping trips planned, and much much more. It is going to be so busy the next few months, so stay tuned for so much more.Lamps Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07758934642754738738noreply@blogger.com1