tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23382722345705834042024-03-05T17:38:45.649-05:00Life With Triplets Plus OneThe Clifford P.A.L.S.The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.comBlogger577125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-33384568186932592202013-10-31T16:46:00.000-04:002013-10-31T16:46:47.264-04:00Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-41694688096155850082013-10-22T11:42:00.001-04:002013-10-22T11:42:20.425-04:00Pumpkin Patch 2013We have an overabundance of pumpkins in our house this year. As I look outside I count 10 pumpkins of varying sizes littering our front porch. Some are large, some are small, some are adorned with stickers ... what can I say? We love our pumpkins! I am never one to turn down a trip to the pumpkin patch, so we headed there a couple weeks ago just as the calendar turned to October (my favorite month!).<br />
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Lifting pumpkins is hard work!<br />
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There are lots of photo ops and props at the pumpkin patch (they aren't dummies) and I'm guessing the ratio of cameras to children was at least 1:1 with all of the clicking going on.<br />
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Sweet girls ...<br />
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... and happy boys.<br />
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After we had climbed everything we could find, it was time for the pumpkin hunt.<br />
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Found it (or 10)!<br />
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We also had to sample all of the yummy fall foods. The apple corer/slicer that was there was so cool. There may or may not be one in the mail on the way to our house soon.<br />
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I picked up some apple butter too. I couldn't resist!<br />
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Now our pumpkin and his extended family have taken up residence on our front porch. Fall is in the air here in North Carolina and I couldn't be more excited. Bring on the trick-or-treaters!<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-24601866910405561452013-10-10T14:04:00.002-04:002013-10-10T14:04:57.395-04:00Cheering on the Deacs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-89591237558362829542013-09-29T17:51:00.001-04:002013-09-29T17:51:36.409-04:00Picture(s) of the (last few) Week(s) - September 29Time seems pretty elusive for our family these days. I always had these visions that things would slow down once the kids slept through the night, once they could all feed themselves, once they were potty trained, once they started school, etc, etc. Somehow, it doesn't seem to work that way! Life is full and busy, which is wonderful. Writing will always take a back seat to actually enjoying and participating in the lives of my husband and kids. So I'm sorry for the sporadic posts ... but really I'm not because it means my presence is required somewhere else! I'll keep writing whenever I get a chance because I love it, but I'm not making any promises. Who knows, maybe things will slow down one day ... though I seriously doubt it!<br />
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Here are some pictures of our last few weeks. The kids are growing like the proverbial weeds that they are and sometime I have to take notice of their littleness because I can see it dissipating right before my eyes. I've heard they go into kindergarten babies and come out as genuine big kids, so we'll see! For now, they are still enjoying life, school, and everything that new days have to offer. My family is awesome and I'm the luckiest girl alive to have been entrusted with them.<br />
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Happy almost October to everyone ... it's my favorite month!The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-13888003456474377402013-09-15T18:34:00.000-04:002013-09-15T18:34:26.756-04:00Picture of the Week - September 15<br />
Sweet faces staying up late on a Friday night ...<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-76897036475662208272013-09-12T14:31:00.000-04:002013-09-12T14:31:16.706-04:00Talking Points<ul>
<li> I have still not adjusted to school day mornings. You would think after three weeks at it that I would have it down, but I don't. I feel like we're running crazy from the moment we wake up until drop off at school. I know that the remedy to this is just to get up earlier, but I take umbrage with that solution. You see, I like sleep. I'd love to get eight hours plus every night, but that rarely happens anymore. Also, I'm a night person. I enjoy my time after the kids are in bed when I can just lay like a sloth on the couch. The easy solution would be to go to bed earlier so I could get up earlier, but that would cut into my sloth time. So, instead, I run around like a crazy woman for an hour every morning until I can finally breathe once the kids hop out of the car.</li>
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<li>The car line. Ohhhhhh, the lovely car line. I spend a lot of time in the car these days since we're at two different schools that have two different drop off and pick up times. I know most normal people have to deal with this, but I got nice and used to all my kids being in the same school at the same time. Preschool drop off and pick up is old hat, but it's taking me a while to learn the nuances of elementary school car rider rules. After waiting way too much for Luke's liking the first few weeks, we have officially become "that family" that is the very last one to pick up their kids at school. We time it to get there right as the line is petering out and we have to wait all of two minutes. In the end, it means Luke and I don't have to wait half an hour in the car and we end up getting home maybe five or ten minutes later that if we had waited an eternity in the car line. WIN.</li>
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<li>My kids are becoming greedy little money grubbers and are asking for an allowance. We always tell them that if they want something, they can use their money to buy it. The problem is, they don't have any money to buy anything. They get some money from Christmas and birthdays, but we thought we should give them the opportunity to earn some small monetary compensation for doing jobs around the house. I've thought about all different ways to do allowance and I think we've settled on what will work best for us. We have certain everyday chores that are expected (make bed, put clothes in hamper, brush teeth, pick up room, etc). These chores are unpaid and we even reserve the right to take money from your piggy bank if you don't do them. Yeah, we're that mean. Then we are going to have a set of rotating chores that the kids will do every day (feed dog, wipe down bathroom sinks, use the shark vacuum under the table, etc.). These chores are expected as well, but they can earn a bit of money for performing them. Finally, we're going to have extra chores. These are chores that are beyond normal duties that the kids can choose to do if they want to earn extra money. Overall, we have it structured so that they can only earn up to about $1.50 a week, which they think is A FORTUNE! WOW MOM, SIX QUARTERS! We kept the amount small because they're just 5 years old and I want them to learn the skill of saving up for something. Most of the toys or items they covet are in the $15-$20 range, so they'd have to save for a couple of months to get something in that price range. If anyone else has allowance ideas/suggestions, I'm all ears. This is still definitely a work in progress for us.</li>
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<li>Soccer season has officially started and we are spending two nights a week at the soccer field. I determine what program we participate in based on how many nights it will require us to be out of the house. I am just not ready for four nights a week of practices and then all day Saturdays at various athletic fields. I'm holding off for a few more years. Luckily, the organization the kids are playing for this fall has both the boys playing on one night and the girls on another. PLUS, they practice and then play a game all on the same night! I still get my sanity and we still get our Saturdays (for now).</li>
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So what about everyone else? Anything on your mind this Thursday? I'm hoping I get myself in gear and in school mode before the month of September is over. If not, I have a feeling it's going to be a looooong year. <br />
The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-56592068517286776582013-09-08T20:22:00.000-04:002013-09-08T20:22:58.869-04:00Picture of the Week - September 8<br />
This is how you get a ball obsessed dog to stay still during his bath ...<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-73026524615566741442013-09-05T16:33:00.001-04:002013-09-05T16:33:38.766-04:00The Last First DayAnd the last one finally started school!<br />
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I know I'm biased, but he really is the cutest preschooler ever.The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-10912057229127215852013-09-03T09:38:00.001-04:002013-09-03T09:38:32.129-04:00Blessing BagsWe are settling into the semblance of a routine with our new school schedule around here. Truthfully, I think it is more of an adjustment for me than it is for the kindergarteners! They have adjusted nicely and don't seem too tired at the end of a full day of school. We have been trying to get to bed early to handle the earlier wake up time and that seems to be working so far! Luke and I have been enjoying our days alone, but he is at a bit of a loss with the removal of all of his instant playmates. Preschool starts this week so I know that he'll be glad to get back into a school routine as well. He's officially the big man on campus in preschool in the Pre-K class this year!<br />
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Recently we took the time to make blessing bags to put in our car. I was inspired by <a href="http://marriageconfessions.com/2013/07/23/blessings-bags/" target="_blank">this blog</a> on Marriage Confessions. It all started one day when Adah walked into the family room with this sign ...<br />
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Ok, I'll admit that at first I laughed because it's hilarious. "I am Hugey"??? It was pretty funny. But I knew what she was trying to write, "I am <i>Hungry</i>." We often see people standing at intersections with signs about how they are hungry, penniless or homeless and the kids always ask what the signs say. We talk about how some people aren't as fortunate as us and may not have enough money or resources to buy food, clothes, or housing. Their response?? They always, <i>always</i> want to help.<br />
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Well, after Adah's episode I decided to make good on my promise to help the people that we see. We headed out to assemble blessing bags to offer these individuals. We shopped for and assembled bags containing things like soap, toothpaste/brush, non-perishable food items, and so on. Each of the kids also drew a picture and/or wrote a note to put inside each bag. They had fun putting them all together one afternoon.<br />
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<br />So far, we've given away two of our four bags. The kids love to give them away and it's been nice to teach them a lesson in service in a physical way. Inherently, I think that kids are helpers, and these bags have been a tangible way for them to feel like they are helping someone else. Anything I can use to teach our kids the qualities of empathy, compassion, and love is definitely a positive in my book!<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-39698454064771318452013-09-01T09:30:00.000-04:002013-09-01T09:30:01.577-04:00Picture of the Week - September 1Enjoying a perfect Friday afternoon on campus ...<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-57156413743160846752013-08-27T08:30:00.000-04:002013-08-27T08:30:03.856-04:00All Grown Up - The Triplets Head to KindergartenWhere did my babies go?<br />
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They are official big kids now. Each of them goes to a full day of school and is in their own kindergarten class.<br />
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They didn't shed ONE tear. Not one between all three of them. At first I was a bit sad, but it was hard to be down when you could see how excited they were.<br />
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They were just so happy to be there. So happy to be playing and learning and taking the next step in their still very young lives.<br />
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They were READY. And that made it just a little bit easier for this momma to pack away the rest of her unused tissues and smile right along with them. I couldn't be prouder of what they are becoming.<br />
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To the moon and back my sweet babies. To the moon and back.<br />
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The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-58563199219719754442013-08-19T08:30:00.000-04:002013-08-19T08:30:01.869-04:00Summer 2013This summer we ....<br />
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Went to the beach in two different states (SC and FL)<br />
Went hiking and waterfall searching<br />
Went to VBS and preschool camps<br />
Visited Nonni and Grandad in Florida (twice)<br />
Went to Magic Kingdom<br />
Got the courage to go off the diving board at the pool<br />
Learned to ride bikes with no training wheels, woohoo!<br />
Went on our first (albeit short) family bike ride<br />
Had Yes Day!<br />
Made countless trips to the pool, library, and ice cream store<br />
Had our first camp out<br />
And much more!<br />
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I can't believe summer is almost over and Peyton, Sam and Adah head to
kindergarten in just one week. Where did the time go? You know we're
going to pack a whole lot of fun into this last week of summer!The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-32073380470931323862013-08-12T13:28:00.001-04:002013-08-13T17:26:53.669-04:00Soaking It UpI've been intentionally absent these past couple of weeks as we try and wrap up our summer. We've taken one last vacation and really just tried to soak up these last few weeks before three-fourths of my minions head off to "big kid school". Some things are just a little more important than the blog right now. Don't worry, I'll be back. I just want to make sure I don't miss anything these last few weeks!<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-60313021419149103592013-07-28T17:09:00.002-04:002013-07-28T17:09:49.658-04:00Picture of the Week - July 28Pool break<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-52912349804650340042013-07-26T09:36:00.001-04:002013-07-26T09:36:40.737-04:00The JarSummer is flying by in our house. I can hardly believe that school starts in about a month! How did that happen? While we've kept ourselves busy with vacations, trips to the pool, and camps, we have also run across the occasional spell of boredom. While I think it's good for kids to be a bit bored once in a while (it gets those creative juices flowin'!), our family has come up with a pretty simple and effective way to fight boredom on some of those lazy summer afternoons.<br />
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I give you ... The PALS Summer Jar of Fun.<br />
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I just came up with that oh-so-original title right now, so don't laugh at my naming prowess. The kids just refer to it as "the jar", but that sounded too bland and boring to me.<br />
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At the beginning of June we all sat down and thought of some fun, easy, and inexpensive things that we wanted to do over the course of the summer. The only real requirement was that the activity was simple enough to do spur of the moment (nothing that required much pre-planning) so that we could pull it out in the morning and be able to do the activity that day.<br />
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The kids LOVE the jar. Mostly I think they like the idea of picking something random to do and not knowing what they're going to get. Actually, this is the main point of the jar: Put in some fun things that we would probably do anyway but up the excitement level a little bit by adding the element of surprise. <br />
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The jar has really been a welcome addition this summer. The kiddos want to pull something out of it every day, but we try and restrain ourselves and just do a few a week. Some days we don't have time to do something in the jar, so we save it for a rainy afternoon or a day where we know we won't have camps or other things to do.<br />
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Here are a few examples of activities we threw into the jar:<br />
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Pick blueberries<br />
Do a simple science experiment (baking soda + vinegar = hours of fun)<br />
Go to a new park<br />
Have a water balloon fight<br />
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Make ice cream<br />
Play cards<br />
Paint<br />
Write a letter to grandparents<br />
Find a fun Pinterest project to do and do it<br />
Go on a picnic<br />
Go on a nature walk<br />
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And many more!<br />
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Again, these are all things that we probably would have done anyway, it just makes it a lot more fun when it's a surprise! I think we'll continue the jar tradition next summer (and may even institue one for Christmastime as well) since it has been such a hit.<br />
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Does anyone else have any creative ways to get through the summer? We still have a month left and no one in this house is loosing steam just yet!The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-30161419295327267752013-07-23T11:10:00.002-04:002013-07-23T11:10:26.242-04:00Kidspeak<i>While at the beach a few weeks ago ...</i><br />
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Matt: "Hey guys, do you want to go to the saltwater pool that we went to yesterday and go swimming?"<br />
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Luke: "Where Daddy?"<br />
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Matt: "You know, the pool we went to that tasted like the ocean because it has salt water instead of chlorine? Remember it had those fountains in it?"<br />
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Luke: "Oh yes, the salt pool. I liked that one. Ummmm, Daddy??"<br />
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Matt: "Yes?"<br />
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Luke: "I like the salt pool ... but does it have pepper in it? I don't like pepper. It's too spicy."<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-49153303223214421302013-07-21T20:07:00.000-04:002013-07-21T20:07:00.799-04:00Picture of the Week - July 21Don't hold hands with a girl unless you're prepared to get pulled overboard ...<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-75300800247554798612013-07-16T14:05:00.001-04:002013-07-16T14:05:59.319-04:00Picture of the Week - July 16A little late, but, hey, it's summer!<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-51537670035780159242013-07-10T09:34:00.000-04:002013-07-10T09:34:22.241-04:00Beach Week <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-14530564305673482882013-07-07T09:00:00.000-04:002013-07-07T09:00:00.540-04:00Picture of the Week - July 7Can you tell what our snack of choice is at the pool this summer?<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-37804986627712733382013-07-03T08:30:00.000-04:002013-07-03T08:30:02.084-04:00Camp OutA few weeks ago we decided to let the kids live one of their life long dreams and go on a camp out. While I'm all for the great outdoors, I'm not really a sleep-on-the-floor-dig-a-hole-for-a-potty kind of girl. If you can give me a cabin and a bath house at the "camp site", I'm all about it. Well, the kids wanted to really camp out. In a tent. And sleep on the gound in sleeping bags.<br />
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Mamma don't play that.<br />
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So we decided on a compromise. We let them have their camp out fun. We pitched a tent and brought out our sleeping bags. We had a fire with marshmallows, we ate outside, and we stayed up late to catch lightning bugs (because everyone in NC know that's what <i>fireflies</i> are really called). And the best part? We did it all in the comfort of our own backyard.<br />
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A test run, if you will. I did not want to haul all six of us out to the woods to discover that the kids didn't think that camping was all they thought it was cracked up to be. They were happy about getting to camp and I was happy about air conditioning and running water. Win-win.<br />
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Plus, Wilson didn't feel left out.<br />
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We actually did have a great time and got to do everything the kids had wanted to do. We even managed to fit in a little extras like carving our initials into a tree and going for a little swing in the trees.<br />
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Fireflies? Check.<br />
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Campfire? Check.<br />
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Four happy campers? Most definitely.<br />
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We finally got them quieted down once it turned dark and they all actually fell fast asleep under the stars. It was a perfectly cool night and I enjoyed sitting on the deck and listening to the frogs and cicadas while they slept.<br />
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Of course, we brought them all back inside once we headed to bed ourselves. I think they would have been fine out there but no one tells you that a 6-person tent is really code for a 4-person tent. I don't think much sleeping would have occurred if Matt and I had tried to shimmy our way in there. They didn't seem to mind though and now they have some crazy idea about a REAL camp out on their minds. I told them we may need a few more practice rounds first ...<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-76815523457721910372013-06-30T19:52:00.000-04:002013-06-30T19:52:22.306-04:00Picture of the Week - June 30My bookworm and her nook<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-37417411305018233892013-06-25T14:28:00.003-04:002013-06-25T14:28:56.917-04:00KidspeakWhile riding in the car with Bogey (the PALS' grandpa), the kids got into a discussion about dogs and what dogs we owned as kids ...<br />
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Adah: "Mom, what was the name of your dog when you were a little girl?"<br />
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Me: "Well, his name was Barney. Daddy had a dog too. Ask him what her name was."<br />
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Sam: "What was her name Dad?"<br />
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Matt: "Her name was Candy."<br />
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<i>Lots of laughs because apparently that is an hilarious name.</i><br />
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Peyton: "Bogey, did you have a dog?"<br />
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Bogey: "Yes, I had a few dogs."<br />
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Peyton: "What kind of dogs were they? What were their names?"<br />
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Bogey: "Well, one of them was a toy poodle."<br />
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<i>Silence</i><br />
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Peyton: "Uh, Bogey? We're talking about real dogs, not your toys."<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-22976236846901193492013-06-20T09:46:00.000-04:002013-06-20T09:46:14.951-04:00Powerless, Chasing Waterfalls, and KindercampWe've had a quite a busy week that kicked off last weekend with a lovely power outage! Last Thursday we had a quick thunderstorm move through our area that brought down a ton of trees near us. In fact, a huge oak came down that blocked our street. We live at the end of a dead end street, so we were literally trapped! Luckily, Matt had his car at work so we at least had one car with access to the outside world until they had a chance to remove the tree.<br />
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With all the downed trees came a power outage as well. Lots of people in the area lost power and I assumed it would come back on within a few hours. However, once 10pm rolled around and we were still using candles and flashlights, I knew it may be a while. The power company told us Friday that it probably wouldn't be up until Monday, so we packed up ourselves and our refrigerator's contents and moved to a place with power! Luckily we were able to salvage our fridge and freezer's contents, so we were happy about that.<br />
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Since we were facing another powerless day on Saturday, we decided to tick an item off the ole summer bucket list and take the kids hiking in nearby Hanging Rock State Park. The weather was perfect (mid-70's) and they had a blast running the trails and discovering hidden gems along the way.<br />
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We saw several waterfalls and got a chance to feel how cold the water was while enjoying some great scenery.<br />
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Sam "Map Man" Clifford gave us some good navigation tips and led us to the rock garden after lunch. I think this was the kids favorite part because they could climb, climb, climb.<br />
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We stopped for milkshakes on the way home and found out upon our return to the house that the power was coming back on!! Yay for false estimations by the power department! So we were able to move back home Saturday night, which was a welcome relief. You sometimes don't realize how much you take for granted with ready, available power until it is taken away.<br />
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This week has been packed as well as the triplets have been at Kindercamp! Their new elementary school does a little camp each summer for rising kindergarten students that introduces them to the school, their class, and their teachers. It's a great way to give them a taste of what school will be like before the actual start of school in August. We are splitting the three of them into separate classes for the first time this year, so I was a bit nervous about that. They did great and were all lucky to have a friend or two in each of their classes as well. It's made them even more excited to start school in the fall, but I'm still planning on enjoying a couple more months of summer first!The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2338272234570583404.post-1293955664772366062013-06-17T15:20:00.003-04:002013-06-17T15:20:31.223-04:00Picture of the Week - June 16Happy Father's Day to the best dad I know. We love you!<br />
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<br />The Cliffordshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12088254670344207219noreply@blogger.com0