Targhee

The majority of this week was spent unpacking from our California Trip, doing laundry, and then re-packing for our weekend at Targhee with Zach’s family.

It has been so nice to have a treadmill in the next room and this week I took full advantage.  My work-out buddy is zero help.

She zonks out minutes into our work-outs.  She loves the sound that the treadmill makes – it lulls her right to sleep.

Wednesday we did a little field trip for Activity Days.  Jocilyn had the brilliant idea of taking the girls to the grocery store to learn about budgeting and meal planning.  The girls loved it.  We divided into teams and shopped for ingredients for a meal for Jocilyn’s family.  But I think their favorite part was seeing the back room where all the deliveries are made.

Thursday I lunched with my friends Jenn and Lindsey.  We had Cutler’s to go and hung out at Lindsey’s house.  The babies played (Sloan snoozed) while we talked.  I love our lunch / play dates.  I can’t wait until Sloan is old enough to to keep up with Tagg and Parker.

Thursday night I went to dinner for my belated birthday with my friends Whitney and Kristina to Trio.  Sloan fell asleep by the time our entrees came out.  She is the perfect dinner date and is always such a good sport to be toted around to all the random events I take her to.

Friday Zach got off work a little early so we could head off to Wyoming.  Sloan’s first roadtrip!  I planned it out so we could stop and feed her and eat at the same time.  She was an angel and snored most of the ride up to Targhee.  We stopped in Rexburg for a feeding / Taco Time drive thru and made it to the resort around 9:00 – Sloan’s bedtime.

The next morning we got up, fed Sloan, and had breakfast.  Luckily, my mother-in-law doesn’t care to ski, so she offered to take Sloan in between feedings so Zach and I could snowboard together.

I would go on a few runs with the family and then come back to the lodge to feed Sloan and would go right back out there.  Zach and I are lucky that Mimi loves to cuddle babies – we had a built in babysitter the whole trip!

Saturday was gorgeous – mostly sunny with some little snow flurries here and there.  It was the first time Zach and I have skied together in over a year.

After a day on the slopes, we had a pizza dinner in Zach’s sister Kristi’s room along with all the kids.  Sloan received tons of love and attention from her cousins.

After dinner we watched the Ute Basketball game in our room before it was Sloan’s bath time.  Afterwards we put her to bed and as soon as her little lids closed we started season 3 of House of Cards.  In order to not wake Sloan we watched on the laptop with a pair of shared headphones.  It was the perfect way to end the night – being totally creeped out by the Underwoods.

The next morning Zach and his dad went out to ski and I stayed in the lodge with Sloan.  Before lunch Mimi watched her so I could go to the gym.  We later met up with everyone at Snorkles for some lunch.

 

I had Sloan in her bear suit – she looked like a stuffed animal!  Two ladies started laughing when they realized she was a baby and not a plush toy.

She doesn’t looked amused, but if she could talk she would tell you she loved it.  It was frigid outside and this bear get-up kept her cozy as we walked around.  She even fell asleep in it on our walk from the lodge back to our room.

In the afternoon we all met up again to go tubing.  Mimi watched Sloan again and Zach and I joined everyone for a friendly competition – who could get the most air.  Zach and I crushed it.

Later that night the adults went out to dinner at the lodge to celebrate Mark’s birthday.

After dinner we put Sloan to bed and continued our House of Cards marathon.

The next morning we woke up early to pack up and head home.  Sloan did great on the long drive back.  We stopped outside of Tremonton to feed her and stretch our legs.

She is such an easy going baby.  She has to be with Zach and I as her parents.  Two weekends in a row she has had to deal with travel plans interrupting her schedule that we have established.  But rather than blow a gasket, she just kicked back and enjoyed the ride.

Thank you Hendersons for another fantastic getaway to Targhee.  We loved our weekend with you all!

Hermosa 2015

It’s a tradition that Zach and I go on trips for our birthdays each year.  Last year for my birthday we went to Las Vegas for a long weekend.  Vegas wasn’t doable this year with Sloan.  Can you imagine us toting around a 3 month old through the casinos?  Do people do that?  The thought makes me cringe.  So this year, as a family of three, we decided to go to California.  It made perfect sense.  Short flight, warmer weather.  It was the perfect opportunity to test out the traveling waters with Sloan.

Zach did a little research and found a great spot, perfect for families.  We picked Hermosa (just south of Santa Monica). We left Thursday after work.  My brother had a convention the exact same weekend and joined us on our flight.  It was great to have him.  He is always so willing to help and I love getting the chance to talk to him – other than chaotic family dinners on Sundays.

I was really nervous to take Sloan on her first flight.  It was a mix between a fear of her disrupting everyone on the plane and the fact that she might hate to fly in general.  I was convinced that because Sloan was such a good baby that she would hate to fly – we couldn’t be that lucky.  I did as I was told and nursed her right when we were ascending.  She didn’t make a single sound the entire flight.  She finished eating and slept for all but 10 minutes until it was time to prepare for landing.  I nursed her as we were coming back down and she didn’t skip a beat.  This is another instance when Sloan convinces me I want 10 babies.  I know our second baby will crush that lofty dream – but while this stage lasts, I am going to soak it up.  We still can’t believe she crushed her first flight.

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Since Blake didn’t have anything going on until the next morning, we conned him in to coming along with us to dinner at Unami Burger in Hermosa.  It was really mellow because it was before the dinner rush, and we all enjoyed our burgers and fries.

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We dropped Blake off afterwards to get his rental car and we parted ways.
Then we checked into our hotel.  This is where my husband won a gold star.

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Zach is fantastic at researching travel options.  He really took some time to find the best set-up for us.  We stayed at the Beach House at Hermosa – a tiny boutique hotel right on the boardwalk.  Not only was it steps away from the beach, but it was nearby the pier as well.  We got checked in, turned on the fireplace, and put Sloan down for bed.  As soon as we saw the kitchenette, we had a plan.  There was a nearby quick-stop and Zach walked down the street for a six pack of Diet Coke and Dr. Pepper and some other treats.  We stocked our mini fridge for the weekend.

The next morning I fed Sloan when she woke up and then Zach watched her while I went for an early run.  The weather was perfect and I couldn’t believe how many people were out and about that hour.  Runners, joggers, speed walkers, dog walkers, it was so much fun.  I got to run by all the modern beach houses and then down the pier to watch the surfers.  By the time I got back, Sloan was down for her morning nap.  So Zach and I decided to order room service for breakfast.

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It sounds crazy, but breakfasts were my favorite meals of this trip.  The LA area is a very health conscious city, so I love that you can order an awesome, healthy meal [and not have to guess on calories – they usually include those].  I liked my egg white / black bean / fancy “free range” chicken breakfast tacos so much that I ordered the same thing the next morning.

When Sloan woke up from her nap we got her all ready for the beach.  Zach rented a surfboard and an umbrella and we got a nice spot all laid out for Sloan and I.

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I think the thing that impressed me the most was how clean Hermosa Beach was.  The demographic was much different as well.  I am used to Venice and Santa Monica – where hippies, the homeless, and the unseemly dwell.  This beach was pretty desolate with the exception of a few volleyball players and small families.  And there was NO trash – zero waste scattered around.  It was gorgeous!

When the wind picked up, we made our way inside to shower up.  We then drove to the Farmers’ Market for lunch and did some shopping at the Grove.

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We left with some Sprinkles Cupcakes to go.  They came in handy later during our inevitable battle with LA rush hour traffic.

 

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By the end of our first full day, Sloan was accustom to diaper changes in the back seat of our rental car.

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The next morning was a repeat of the first.  Run, surf, shower.  With the exception of Sloan and I on the beach.  It was much cooler the second day, so Sloan and I opted to stay in and watch a movie while Zach caught some waves.  When Zach got back in from surfing, he found both Sloan and I asleep.  I haven’t taken a nap during the day since Sloan was 4 weeks old.  It was heavenly.  When we are at home I work while she naps, so being in the hotel with no work to be done was the most relaxing way to spend the morning.  We both woke up bright eyed.

 

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By lunchtime we made our way to Santa Monica to shop around at the Promenade.  Sloan hasn’t had a ton of opportunities outside, considering she is a winter baby.  She loved watching the hoards of shoppers.

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Zach didn’t even mind shopping one bit, cause he got his Pinkberry fix early on.  I tried their chocolate chip cookie flavor – still think Peanut Butter is my favorite, though.

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We braved the traffic again and made our way back to our hotel.  Sloan was exhausted [and probably a bit over stimulated] so we put her down and decided to have pizza delivered to our hotel room – a little New York style pizza place Zach has dined at before.  It totally hit the spot.  I am embarrassed at the amount of breadsticks that I consumed.

IMG_2278 IMG_2280The next morning was a lazy one.  The three of us cuddled in bed until it was time to check-out.  Sloan loves her a good cuddle in the morning.

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We loaded all our stuff in our rental car but weren’t quite ready to leave.  We decided to take a stroll along the boardwalk and down the pier.  It was probably our favorite part of the whole trip.  Processed with VSCOcam with hb1 preset

 

Sloan was entranced.  The seagulls were her favorite.  While I loved the beach and breeze, I spotted something that was a favorite of mine.  Girl Scouts.  On scooters.  Selling cookies out of their wagon.

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We picked up Blake from LAX, returned our rental car, and boarded our plane to go home.

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The flight home was much more turbulent that the flight out.  We hit some major bumps as we approached home, but Sloan didn’t seem to mind.  I nursed her as I had the way there and she didn’t even realize how much we were jumping around in the air.  She just held on a little tighter.

The weekend went way too fast.  I couldn’t have picked a better way to celebrate my birthday with my little family.  Everyone told us before Sloan that we ‘better travel now, because you will never travel with kids’.  It totally bummed me out.  I always thought we would continue to travel, even as our family grew.  True, it requires more luggage than usual, but it is totally worth the extra packing and preparation!  We have mastered feeding and diaper changes in the back seat and praise Nordstrom mother’s lounges.  You make it work, and it works just fine.  Zach and I would have done the exact same things if Sloan weren’t with us on the trip.  The only difference would have been where we dined at night – but we’re not fancy!  I realize we only took a trip to California, but this little test trip has geared us up for future trips as a family.  Sloan must love to travel as much as her parents do.  Maybe it’s the only thing she inherited from her mother…

 

 

V-Day ’15 / That Mom Thang

While Zach was out of town for a convention, my family took me out for ice cream at my local T-Ville favorite – Leatherby’s – for a late birthday celebration.  I love going out for ice cream with my mom – she never makes me feel guilty for ordering a side of hot fudge.

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Zach and I, as part of our resolutions this year, have both been working out more consistently.  He comes home from work and watches Sloan for an hour or so while I go for a run.  The weather has been so nice that I have been running around our neighborhood and down Legacy Parkway Trail.  It is usually the perfect time, too.  Just as the sun sets.  Then I come home and he goes for a run.  Sloan doesn’t even miss me because she is having dad withdrawals all day.

I printed and framed Sloan’s blessing to go in her room this week as well.  Several people told me to record it and I am so grateful that I did.  It will be something she can read until she gets her patriarchal blessing.

FullSizeRender-8Tuesday I went out to dinner with my two friends, Jenn and Lindsey, for my birthday.  I drug them around to a few stores before we had dinner at Brio.  These two always guarantee good conversation, I love spending time with them.

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This year, to keep with tradition, Zach and I went out for our V-Day date early.  We dined at Ruth Chris and went all out for dessert – a vanilla cone and a cookie from McDonald’s on our way home.  Sloan hung out with Grandma and Grandpa Fotheringham at our house.  While we were out my dad even spot cleaned my carpet and used his fancy upholstery cleaner to remove a stain from a chair in our bedroom.  It was Sloan who made the stain, in case you are wondering.  It was so fun to get out, just the two of us, to celebrate our least favorite holiday.  I don’t mean to be a drag, but Valentine’s Day is kind of the worst.  Luckily, I picked the restaurant this year and there were no corn dogs involved.  Yet…

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In all seriousness, though.  It was so nice to go out for a nice dinner with Zach.  I love talking to him and nobody can make me laugh like he can.  Valentine’s Day totally blows, but an excuse to go out with your best friend is alright by me.

Later that night I had mentioned to Zach that my orthodontist was giving away a free GoPro if you could make up a song about his practice.  There were only a few requirements and one of them was to get as many likes as possible on Facebook.  When Zach heard there was a possibility of winning something he wanted for free, he had to do it.  Literally he became consumed with the idea.  So we worked on a short rap to “Gangster’s Paradise” and dressed up.  Sloan borrowed my gold chain for her rap single debut…

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The three of us [Sloan, Sophie the Giraffe, and myself] took 10 minutes to create what Zach deemed a masterpiece.  He edited it, recorded our new lines on my iPhone – quietly, because Sloan was in her room sleeping, and exported the bad boy in iMovie.

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Sloan loved it.  She is great at getting into character.  She was even flashing gang signs.

IMG_1874Friday night my birthday present was delivered and we had big, romantic plans, to set it up.  If getting a treadmill for your birthday isn’t the most depressing yet useful gift then I don’t know what is.  Really, though.  It is what I wanted and Zach obliged because he could put it to good use as well.  We are now in the process of turning our guest room into Sloan’s toy room/in-home gym/storage area.  It is pure chaos right now.  Toys here, luggage there.  We already have a stationary bike, so the treadmill made it feel more official.  All we need are some free weights and we have a mini Gold’s Gym.

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Saturday morning, my Valentine gave me a box of my favorite sugar cookies – almond glazed from Cutler’s.  This supply will save me from a few trips to their drive-thru window.  I have a serious addiction.  Zach knows me too well.  I give them a better grade than Swig, even.

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I gave my Valentine a sick pair of running shoes he has been eyeing.  He will be using that treadmill as much as I will, I imagine.  Afterwards we drove down to Fashion Place Mall to continue our V-Day tradition.  We did a little shopping and then stopped for lunch at the food court.

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Yes.  Hot Dog on a Stick.  And for the record – those are not all for me.  I got ONE hot dog, because one corn dog is all I can handle, and Zach pounded two cheese sticks and his own corn dog.  All washed down with my favorite beverage at that joint:  the limeade.  Sloan loved watching every person that passed her by.  She was in heaven.  IMG_9077

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Saturday night we ordered take-out from the Cheesecake factory and all three of us had a carpet picnic.  Zach and I split a piece of strawberry cheesecake.  It was my favorite Valentine’s Day to date.  No fuss, no muss.

Sunday was glorious.  After church we had lunch and lounged around the rest of the day.  Speaking of church – I went into the mother’s room for the very first time in my entire life.  That room used to scare the whiz outta me.  Now it’s like a safe haven.  Where boobs have no boundaries.  Anyway…afterwards, Sloan took two solid naps, Zach took one, and I got a lot accomplished around the house.  Unfortunately, the Hendo in-home Gym doesn’t look much better than it did before.  I need to come up with a clever solution for that black hole of a room.

go to churchLater we made our way down to Taylorsville for Sunday dinner.  We had noodle soup and afterwards helped my aunt make floral crowns for her young women and their New Beginnings activity.  Sloan watched the Allstar game with the guys and enjoyed it more than trying on floral headbands with the ladies.flowersI have to say this:  I love being a mom.  I was so scared to become a parent.  I have mentioned before that I have been missing my “mom chip” and I didn’t know how great of a mother I would be.  From the second Sloan showed up, it is like something clicked inside me.  Nobody knows what they are doing when they become a mom – you just go for it.  Head first.  Isn’t that how every wonderful thing in life happens?  Head first?  Being a mom kind of feels like I felt falling in love with Zach.  Like a flood.  Sloan has come into our lives, and even though I didn’t think I could, made me love Zach even more.  Not only that, but there is more than enough love left over for her.  Who knew I could love someone so small (no pun intended about my husband…mmmkay?)

 

3 Months

I am sure I will say this as each month approaches, but three months has been my favorite Sloan stage.  She is out of that sleepy newborn phase and is as alert as I’ve ever seen her.  Her preferred outfit is always her birthday suit.  She likes tummy time the best.

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She is finally coming around to the idea of wearing clothes.  Kind of.  I am glad, because this would have been awkward if it had continued through toddlerhood.  I dress her in the most ridiculous get-ups and Zach won’t let me take her out in them.  This particular ensemble, Zach said was too “hood rat”…

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This week we did our annual tradition of decorating Valentine cookies at my parent’s house.  Sloan participated in her jammies by sticking her hands in the frosting repeatedly.

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Sloan finally fits into 0-3 months clothes [just in time for her 3 month mark] and got to wear a dress that her Mimi bought her while we were in Paris to church on Sunday.

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After church [thank heaven above we are back to a normal time – 2:30 church was a doozy], Zach watched Sloan while I had my Activity Days meeting.  As you can tell, she adores her dad…

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Sloan loves to watch whatever is going on.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  She is really mellow, like Zach.  But we haven’t decided if she will be a chatty Kathy, like her mother.  She hasn’t discovered her voice quite yet.  Zach made blueberry streusel muffins while I was gone and Sloan watched him via countertop the entire time.

 

 

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She also watched me, fascinated, this week while I cleaned the entire house.  Maybe she is my daughter.  OCD starts young, perhaps.

Month two Sloan decided she would refuse naps.  Altogether.  She slept like a champ during the night, but during the day she would fight sleep.  This month she has rediscovered her inherited (from her father) love of sleep and has even started sleeping in her crib.

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Bless you, video monitor.  Sloan doesn’t cry when she wakes up, she just stirs.  So thanks to my trusty video monitor I can tell when she has awaken from her slumber.  Turns out, by the way, she loves the painting above her crib.  Take THAT all your peeps who said it would give her nightmares!  Just kidding…but really.  She loves it.  Stares at it kind of creepy like, even.

Three months old and this babe is still the sweetest thing.  I have nightmares that because she is such a good baby – she will grow to be a terrible child / teenager.  When she is complaining about not getting a car on her 16th birthday, I can show her these pictures to remind her she was, at one time, a perfect tiny angel.

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Super Sloan Sunday

This week we (Sloan and I) spent the majority of our time running errands for her blessing day.  We decided – after switching the date 2 times – to bless her on February 1st.  Seemed fitting on my birthday and Super Bowl Sunday.  We deemed it Super Sloan Sunday.

I wore the poor girl out checking off our to-do list each day.  These two are peas in a pod – identical twins, I am telling you.  I asked Zach to watch her while I brushed my teeth and they were both out before I finished.

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She slept like a champion all week.  My pediatrician is finally happy with her weight gain, so he gave me the go-ahead to let her sleep 6 hours at night.  She took full advantage.

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Evenings, Sloan and I have been winding down while watching Downton Abbey.  I got a season pass on Apple TV.  She loves sitting up like a big girl.

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I did some finishing touches for her blessing outfit.  Her headband arrived and fit her perfectly.

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Turns out every pair of tights I bought her were too big – and they don’t sell ivory premie tights.  We even resulted to try American Girl Doll tights.  I am serious.  They fit her scrawny legs perfect…but weren’t long enough.

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Mid week I found out our maternity photos were featured on one of my favorite blogs – Grey Likes Baby!  You can see the post here – Maternity Photos.

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A new development in our routine around here has been Sloan’s love of books.  She coos and babbles back at the pictures.  Her current favorite is Sammy the Shredder.

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Saturday I enlisted Zach’s help in running the rest of the errands before the Blessing.  We had to fill up the giant balloons.  Transporting them was harder than we thought.  Logistics is everything…

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A flower centerpiece was also delivered Saturday night.  My friends Richelle and Becca did such an amazing job, it is exactly what I was picturing.

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Sunday morning came and we were busy pretty early setting up at our neighborhood clubhouse.  We rushed off to get ready and then head off to church.  Getting Sloan dressed was so sweet, she was all smiles.

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Zach gave Sloan the sweetest blessing, I thought my heart might explode.  I have such a strong testimony of the power of priesthood blessings.  She was a little angel as well, and slept the remainder of the meeting.  We were so grateful to all our friends and family members who came.

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After the meeting we made our way over to our clubhouse for the brunch.  Sloan got passed around and had some grub of her own.

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The french toast sticks were a hit – thanks to my mom who always puts up with my crazy ideas!

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After everyone left and we cleaned up, Zach and I went home to spend the rest of the day together.  Zach surprised me with a cake and he and Sloan sang me happy birthday.

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The cake was a Super Bowl theme, obviously…

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He also somehow found this pair of shoes for me that I have been wanting, they have been sold out for weeks!  I was completely shocked because he already got me my birthday gift a few weeks ago.  He said he wanted me to have something to open on my birthday.

So our remainder of the evening was spent eating treats and lounging in our comfies while we watched the game.

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I can’t think of a better way to celebrate her blessing and my 28th birthday than being with everyone we love.