tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20243885789214662392024-03-13T22:40:32.430-07:00Welcome to the Country!The life and times of a family of five living the good life.lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.comBlogger1091125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-11092001546330176892016-06-19T10:30:00.000-07:002016-06-19T10:30:10.127-07:00Happy Father's Day 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Glenn,<br />
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Thank you for being the fun-loving, goofy, smiling dad that you are with our children. Watching you with our kids warms my heart more than you could ever know. You are so kind-hearted and your endless patience inspires me.<br />
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You're always so selfless with your time. You make us all so happy. Thank you for giving me this beautiful life and wonderful family.<br />
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I love you so much!<br />
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God bless you always,<br />
Lorettalorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-91174225288583967262016-05-11T09:49:00.001-07:002016-05-11T09:49:49.123-07:00My Daughters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in March, the girls and I attended the Mother-Daughter Tea that a group at school hosts every year. It's not really a tea, more of a hearty meal. But I'm more of a hearty meal kinda girl, so I'm good with that.<br />
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It was fun to dress up with both girls and have our own date night. Where has the time gone?<br />
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They used to snuggle in my lap,</div>
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And beg me to read them a book,</div>
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And follow me around the house,</div>
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And never give me any privacy. </div>
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(Can I please just have five minutes to go to the bathroom?!!)</div>
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Now they do their own things and sit in their own chairs and read their own books (or not).<br />
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They are lovely and mature and kind and delightful and I couldn't be prouder of the beautiful young women they are becoming.<br />
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And I'm not gonna lie... I do enjoy my private bathroom time.lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-67234234013612471692016-04-27T10:28:00.001-07:002016-04-27T10:28:16.639-07:00Holy Interruptions<div>
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In January, we found out that we were expecting. Yes, we were shocked. No, it wasn't planned (thus, the shock). It took some time to process the crazy news that we were going to be adding to our family of five. Our oldest is almost 17 and our youngest will be 12 this summer. Not exactly the idyllic spacing I had imagined, but what in life follows our ideal plans? I had a dear friend remind me of a bible study we completed together about poor Jonah in the whale which explained that life is full of holy interruptions. Things we didn't have planned that God places in our lives and they turn out to be beautiful, sacred blessings despite our initial reluctance to embrace them. I needed to hear that.</div>
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I began to embrace the idea of a new little one in the family. Of seeing my older kids nurture and love another little Poxleitner. I began to dream and imagine what life would be like as a family of six. I'll admit I was dreading the sleepless nights and the dirty diapers just a little, but mostly I just smiled at this new, crazy wrinkle in our life. I knew that nothing gives me more joy than my children, so how could I not be thrilled to have another? </div>
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We began to talk about names. The kids were very supportive and excited, but I made sure they knew that women at my age are more prone to miscarriages. I had this niggling fear because I wasn't having any morning sickness, but everyone's different, they say.</div>
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And then the bleeding began. Not too much. I did what I always do when I want more information... I Googled it. The results were a mixed bag, but there were lots of examples of women who bled, but the baby was fine. The bleeding continued and was joined by cramping after a couple days. Cramping - intense cramping - that's not good according to Google. The doctor suggested an ultrasound and it was clear our little wonder had stopped developing a couple weeks prior. We were just beginning to embrace this miracle and it was time to say goodbye.</div>
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The grief. The guilt. Did I want him or her badly enough? Did I deserve him when I so often get impatient or cranky with the kids I have? Not logical, or accurate, I'm aware, but is emotion logical?</div>
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I told the kids that this little brother or sister of theirs would be waiting for us in heaven. My mom added to that that he or she was with my dad who is already up there. I loved that image. My dad never got to meet any of his grandchildren. I can imagine he's one proud papa and that baby is well-loved by him and many other loved ones. </div>
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Mostly, I was fine. Am fine. But occasionally I feel raw, fragile. How do women go through this over and over again? You don't understand the weight of a miscarriage until you experience it. I knew it must be difficult. My heart went out to those women who struggled with repeated miscarriages. But I didn't get it.</div>
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So, I'm healing. But it's slow. I've now been not pregnant for more weeks than I was pregnant. Seems like that should be enough grieving, but I guess I'm not done with being sad. I want to be. I mostly am. The tears aren't so close to the surface, but the ache is still there. I know I need to be patient with myself, but patience has never been my strongest virtue.</div>
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We're still discussing names. We will pick one. I believe that little soul lives on and is waiting for us and he or she needs a name. Being the practical sort, I suggested a gender neutral name, but I'm leaning towards a boy name now. Morgan needs a brother. And if it's a little girl? Well, then I'm sure she'll like whatever name we pick. Grandpa will help her see the humor in it.</div>
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lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-1178837697603971512016-04-22T11:30:00.001-07:002016-04-22T11:30:49.746-07:00Confirmation<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We are so proud of our girls for choosing to be Confirmed into the Catholic Church. It's been a long process of monthly classes and volunteer hours and preparing to receive the Holy Spirit. </div>
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It was a beautiful night and a lovely service. I have to admit.... I got a little teary. It's so moving to see your children make their own choice to embrace the faith they were baptized into. We've spent the last 17 years trying to be good examples for these people. Trying to instill strong values and a love of God into their hearts. But there's only so much you can do. If they decide not to take all that and make it their own, that's a valid option. And that would be okay, too, but it sure makes my heart happy that they are choosing the path they're on.<br />
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There was no shortage of Priests at the service. Five to be exact. Plus a Deacon. And, don't forget Bishop Peter from Boise. He's the one who does the Confirming, so he was also invited.</div>
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Ellea was less than thrilled to be on crutches, but what are you gonna do? One fractured femur and a Confirmation, please. Thank you. </div>
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There was some nerves about remembering what to say to the Bishop. He's a big deal. Thankfully, they remembered their lines. <br />
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Fifty-four youth from around the area were confirmed. Thirty-four of them were from our parish. We may live in a small town, but it's a very Catholic area (thanks to all those good German immigrants!) which is a nice place to raise kids. (Ellea is fifth from right in front. Nicole is fourth head from the right on top.)<br />
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Aunt Donna made the trip up from Lewiston to support the girls which was lovely.<br />
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And they picked wonderful sponsors to support them now and into the future in their faith journey. <br />
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I see strong bonds developing between these ladies. I love these sweet Kaufman wives.<br />
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This choice was another beautiful step towards adulthood and independence and my heart is full of pride. But gosh darnnit, I'm not even remotely ready for any of that. So I think I'll only let them out of the house for church and school. And maybe youth group. But that's it. I've got to draw the line somewhere.<br />
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I love you girls! May you enjoy unwrapping the gifts of the Holy Spirit and continue to grow and explore your faith. I look forward to watching you make that journey. You are both already so mature and wise and faith filled. It makes me so proud. God bless you always and keep you safe in the palm of his hand.<br />
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<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-65947417232606168432016-02-19T08:50:00.001-08:002016-02-19T08:50:44.037-08:00Hallissey Tournament, Year Five<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had another epic weekend in Boise for the annual Hallissey basketball tournament sponsored by a Catholic church down there. This was Glenn's fifth year of coaching a team for this tournament. You can review many of our memories of this event <a href="http://lorettapox.blogspot.com/search?q=hallissey&max-results=20&by-date=true" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://lorettapox.blogspot.com/search/label/Hallissey" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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New this year, Glenn switched from coaching the girls' team to coaching the boys' team. This was Ellea's first year of not being on the team after four years of participating on the court. She started in 5th grade and it's technically an 8th grade tournament. Glenn usually takes 7th and 8th graders along so she had a more years than most kids get.<br />
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Morgan will get to have the same experience, as he was on the team this year as a fifth grader. He mostly took stats and got to experience the game from the bench, but he also got a couple minutes of playing time when the team had a nice lead.<br />
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They worked hard and made it to the championship game which is always exciting. Glenn gets to announce each of his players. He started with the youngest players, so Morgan went first. Here, he's fist bumping the officials. (I just realized that, looking back, Nicole also wore #12 when she played <a href="http://lorettapox.blogspot.com/2013/02/biased.html" target="_blank">three years ago</a>. Funny!)<br />
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They played their hearts out, but they were playing a team that was strictly 8th graders. They had played this team once before in the tournament and lost by 20 points. The score was much closer for this game (it was often tied or one or the other team had a lead of a point or two), but the other team pulled ahead in the end. Glenn's team played some great ball and gave it their all.<br />
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Second place is nothing to be ashamed of, but those were some sad boys.<br />
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So proud of these two. Glenn had so many random people approach him after the game and tell him what a great team he had and how fun it was to watch them. Can't wait to watch number 12 improve his game and continue to grow. He's already got a great understanding of the game and really seems to enjoy it. Until next year.....lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-6554175446474007422016-02-12T08:58:00.000-08:002016-02-12T08:58:10.514-08:00Stacking ThingsI have been going into the elementary school to present character education lessons once a month this year. It's a paid position, but just barely. The kids are great, but it's a challenge to think of fun, relevant activities and information to present to explain whatever the concept of that month is to kids from Kindergarten to 6th grade. The value for month of February was cooperation.<br />
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I had the older kids do the same cup stacking activity that we did at the <a href="http://lorettapox.blogspot.com/2015/12/poxleitner-crazies.html" target="_blank">Christmas party</a> this year. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. We even got tricky and had the kids flipping the cups over in different directions for the stack.<br />
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This game is a great example of cooperation. Morgan should be quite the expert as we've done it a few different times now.<br />
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Glenn and I tried our hand at stacking something, also. His company hosts a "winter party" every year and this year one of the activities had was the game Jenga. Very large Jenga!<br />
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A Jenga selfie.</div>
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We're not big Jenga players, but it was fun to try our hand at this unusually large version. It got very wobbly by the end, of course, and sadly, I was the one who knocked it over. It was much louder and more dramatic than the usual tip-over in Jenga!<br />
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<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-23847133502869964522016-02-04T08:47:00.003-08:002016-02-04T08:47:44.585-08:00In the GenesMorgan's 5th grade basketball team played another game last night. They had the lead for most of the game, and ended up in overtime. They lost the game by two points but are improving with every game.<br />
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Glenn had to ref last night's game. He is a referee, coach, and dad extraordinaire! Morgan is in black shorts at the top of the key in the picture. He's quite the savvy basketball player already. He just seems to know what to do at all the right times. It must be hereditary, and thankfully he got more of Glenn's genes in this case!lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-50169872959373320092016-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:002016-01-27T09:38:31.116-08:00Bright Eyes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--X7abNl23B8/Vqj-FgSSG_I/AAAAAAAAXG8/vltky1qReF8/s1600/IMG_20160123_122928180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--X7abNl23B8/Vqj-FgSSG_I/AAAAAAAAXG8/vltky1qReF8/s400/IMG_20160123_122928180.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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Ellea and I got to go visit her sweet cousin twins and their family last weekend. We hadn't seen them in a whole month and they had changed so much. They're four months old already. We met at Costco to share some baby wrangling duties while shopping which is a favorite activity of a certain someone.<br />
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This girl is an expert. Diaper changing, getting dressed, burping, soothing. She can do it all.<br />
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Sweet baby Cecelia was in a great, happy mood.<br />
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And somehow, I didn't track who I was taking pictures of each time I pulled out my camera. Turned out every single picture was of Cecelia. We did hold and help with Beatrice, too, but you wouldn't know it based on the pictures.<br />
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This is Cecelia's usually look. Bright eyed and serious. It looks like I'm scaring her, but no one was harmed in the taking of this photo. At least, I don't think so.<br />
<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-26999435244726571532016-01-25T08:59:00.002-08:002016-01-25T08:59:27.162-08:00Basketball Begins (Again) . . .<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We're in the middle of Morgan's 5th grade basketball season. Over the weekend, his team had their first tournament. Let's just say that it was an opportunity for lots of practice and improvement. They were pretty evenly matched by the first team they played, but the two other teams had clearly had LOTS more playing experience.</div>
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Ellea and I went and watched one of the games and Morgan played really well. He even made one free throw and a basket, so that was exciting.<br />
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Of course, Glenn is his coach (with some help from a couple moms). Glenn has decided that boys are <u>much</u> different to coach that girls. Lots goofing around, farting noises (real and fake.....!) and so, so easily distracted. Thankfully, our son is one of the better behaved teammates (he'd better be!). Such a good daddy. Proud of you both.lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-9345013658385004452016-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:002016-01-25T08:59:48.157-08:00Baby Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ellea and I were lucky enough to get to babysit a good friend's adorable baby girl over Christmas break while her mama went skiing with her other kids. Little Ruby was so fun to hang out with.<br />
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She loved her green beans....she would throw herself toward the spoon every time! <br />
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And who doesn't love some sweet baby cuddles?<br />
<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-20350833869929454332016-01-20T07:50:00.000-08:002016-01-20T07:50:40.822-08:00A New Member of the Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qnXOnxPrTJI/Vp-qI4WxOXI/AAAAAAAAW8g/QuEoTOkhLwA/s1600/IMG_20160117_160003945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qnXOnxPrTJI/Vp-qI4WxOXI/AAAAAAAAW8g/QuEoTOkhLwA/s400/IMG_20160117_160003945.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Meet the newest member of the family. This sweet boy will be Nicole's senior project. She is required to pick a project that will take at least 20 hours to complete and then prepare a presentation on what she did, how it went, what she learned, etc. She wanted her project to be training a horse. And, no, Nicole is not a senior, but they encourage kids to figure out their project during their junior year and even have it at least partially completed by the start of their senior year.<br />
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This guy's previous owners called him "V" which was short for Vandal. Nicole is not sure she's going to keep the name V and we already have a cat named Vandal, so we'll see what he gets called. He's about 7 years old and has only been ridden a handful of times. It's been over a year since his last ride. </div>
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So far, so good. He is just about the most relaxed, easy going horse we've ever met. Nicole walked him around the pen where he has lived the last couple of days and gave him some hay. No running around, no whinnying at our other horses nearby, just chill. Happy to eat his hay. If that's any indication of the months to come, I think it bodes well for our little horse trainer.<br />
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The next step is to introduce him to the other horses. Fingers crossed that they like him as much as Nicole does!<br />
<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-62854297290921725332016-01-15T09:39:00.001-08:002016-01-15T09:39:18.806-08:00Electricity is Our Friend<br />
We experienced a special treat at our house last night. A power outage! And not just any old power outage. No, this was the three-hour long variety. My kids say they don't remember the power ever being out longer than a few minutes, so it was about time they get to experience the joy of seeing what life may have been like before electricity. And maybe understand why people went to bed early when they lived by candlelight.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJHkZn1HNeg/VpkrOQgH1nI/AAAAAAAAW5Y/cwpJoQKMpPo/s1600/IMG_20160114_173315281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJHkZn1HNeg/VpkrOQgH1nI/AAAAAAAAW5Y/cwpJoQKMpPo/s400/IMG_20160114_173315281.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We were already in the middle of playing a game. Lucky for us, Grandma was over visiting which made our little adventure even more fun.<br />
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Dinner was already cooking and thank goodness for our propane stove because we knew we wouldn't starve. That's important.<br />
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And, what power outage is complete without a piano recital by flashlight?<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rt0EACaUcqA/VpkrOaV68EI/AAAAAAAAW5Y/Za1mspalhe4/s1600/IMG_20160114_201535578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rt0EACaUcqA/VpkrOaV68EI/AAAAAAAAW5Y/Za1mspalhe4/s400/IMG_20160114_201535578.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We ended up playing multiple games because, well, what else were we going to do by candlelight to entertain ourselves? We discovered that even with millions of candles on the table, it's hard to see well enough to play certain games. I was beginning to feel some eye strain no matter how I arranged the candles. We do own a propane lantern, but it is conveniently stored in our camper which is not at our house right now. Now that I think about it, I think we also own an old-fashioned gas fueled lamp. Maybe next time.<br />
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Needless to say, we were all pretty thrilled when the lights came on! Yay for electricity!<br />
<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-8779361129099429732016-01-13T08:01:00.001-08:002016-01-13T08:01:34.319-08:00Working Woman<br />
Our oldest has her first official job. She's working at our little ski hill in Cottonwood once every weekend. She started right after Christmas and got her first paycheck the other day. Woohoo! Spending money.<br />
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I made her stop on her way out the door to take a picture. Very first day of work! lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-61857803217631478132016-01-11T08:47:00.000-08:002016-01-11T08:47:00.495-08:00More Poxleitner Craziness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A little more fun from our annual Poxleitner Christmas party of 2015....</div>
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Play-Doh is always fun...</div>
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Regardless of your age.</div>
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And a little baby holding is always a treat, at least for the holders. Babies don't look too impressed!</div>
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An impromptu piano duet can be entertaining for both the listeners and performers.</div>
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Another fun year of celebrating Christ's birth with this crazy bunch. Only 11 more months until we try to replicate all this fun. Can't wait!lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-29154131003725222012016-01-07T08:20:00.003-08:002016-01-07T08:20:39.828-08:00Pills in Cheese<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SNdOBKQidI4/Vo6OILEKJII/AAAAAAAAW0k/JPoDuMJhVaA/s1600/IMG_20160104_092921103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SNdOBKQidI4/Vo6OILEKJII/AAAAAAAAW0k/JPoDuMJhVaA/s400/IMG_20160104_092921103.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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This sweet girl gave us a scare this week. All of a sudden she began to have these strange, brief episodes where she would lose muscle control and fall down and twitch a little. Kind of reminded me of a mild seizure, but not really. It happened every 5 to 10 minutes. <br />
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After a trip to the vet with some blood work and thorough examination, she is being treated for meningitis. Less than 5 hours after the steroid shot she received, she was much better, thankfully. <br />
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Of course, she will be taking pills for awhile. And our darling Zip is on three different medications for Hyperthyroidism and heart disease. Twice a day, I feel like a pharmacist. A pharmacist who dispenses her pills cheese.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CNjOYk4EXVc/Vo6OINDPDdI/AAAAAAAAW0k/p-byTNB3yRU/s1600/IMG_20160105_191201982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CNjOYk4EXVc/Vo6OINDPDdI/AAAAAAAAW0k/p-byTNB3yRU/s400/IMG_20160105_191201982.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These two are big fans of our cheese routine. These humans want to give us cheese twice a day? Okay. One of Zoey's pills is quite large. I was sure she would spit it out, but apparently she does little actual chewing, because it goes down without incident. She just appreciates that she's getting such a large piece of cheese to go with it, I guess.lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-36966911065143804662016-01-06T07:30:00.000-08:002016-01-06T07:30:23.948-08:00Sledding on Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m5BXqCfIQNU/VovtiNwbIII/AAAAAAAAWzU/3s2JLuhxccE/s1600/IMG_20151225_151214557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m5BXqCfIQNU/VovtiNwbIII/AAAAAAAAWzU/3s2JLuhxccE/s400/IMG_20151225_151214557.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We had some special visitors come visit us on Christmas day. After a turkey dinner, we went out to the sledding hill for some good old fashioned snow fun.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uOlsvNAQEjY/VovtiBBTW7I/AAAAAAAAWzU/5lvV0qyuuKs/s1600/IMG_20151225_151843624_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uOlsvNAQEjY/VovtiBBTW7I/AAAAAAAAWzU/5lvV0qyuuKs/s400/IMG_20151225_151843624_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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One way to share a sled....<br />
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Another way to share! :)<br />
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Our kids are so spoiled with a ride back to the top of the hill every time. (Tony driving)<br />
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I even took a turn delivering children.<br />
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It's nice we have an extra driver these days.<br />
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Sophia decided she'd try a non-traditional method of getting down the hill. It took awhile, but she actually did roll all the way to the bottom!<br />
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We tried out night sledding the last time Manginis went sledding with us. As you might know, with kids, if you do something once it becomes a thing. So, of course, we had to do some night sledding.<br />
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It was fun. Cold, but fun.<br />
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Thanks for for making Christmas so fun, Mangini family! We might have to make this a thing. =)<br />
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<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-60848310698119564322016-01-04T07:58:00.000-08:002016-01-04T07:58:00.338-08:00Christmas Goodies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TrFUan3x95U/VoqUcRf0JbI/AAAAAAAAWx4/ph5vmPlttOI/s1600/IMG_20151224_213334570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TrFUan3x95U/VoqUcRf0JbI/AAAAAAAAWx4/ph5vmPlttOI/s640/IMG_20151224_213334570.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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Morgan is always so faithful at leaving Santa cookies and milk. This year he outdid himself by creating melted snowmen cookies. I'm sure Santa enjoyed them!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0ZzmwOR1go/VoqUcXmS7_I/AAAAAAAAWx4/5bDWbf8Sf28/s1600/IMG_20151225_085716127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C0ZzmwOR1go/VoqUcXmS7_I/AAAAAAAAWx4/5bDWbf8Sf28/s640/IMG_20151225_085716127.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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Even better, Ellea decreed that we must have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. We gave <a href="http://altonbrown.com/overnight-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/" target="_blank">this recipe</a> for overnight cinnamon rolls a try and it was a delightful success. I think this may be the beginning of a tradition!<br />
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<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-30851574293161452222016-01-02T11:30:00.000-08:002016-01-02T11:30:13.358-08:00Warm Horse, Cold Human<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My daughter talked me into going for a horse back ride a few days ago. It was a balmy 18 degrees. I suggested I wanted to use my saddle, but she wisely talked me out of it. Utilizing my horse's body heat to keep my legs warm was much better than a cold leather saddle!</div>
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Notice in the above photo that I am fully bundled up. My crazy daughter didn't have a hat on. </div>
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Crazy, right?! Right.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yndp5QwGK5o/VogWRFrrK5I/AAAAAAAAWxA/X8KfR21bpI8/s1600/IMG_20151230_132950310_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yndp5QwGK5o/VogWRFrrK5I/AAAAAAAAWxA/X8KfR21bpI8/s400/IMG_20151230_132950310_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Horse riding selfie.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">The horses did pretty well considering how little they've been ridden recently. Nicole and I were fully chilled by the time we got home. Cold toes, cold nose. Otherwise, not too bad. We were glad we did it. We were glad to be back home in the warm house when we were done, too.</span>lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-24191537545400907482015-12-30T11:58:00.001-08:002015-12-30T11:58:34.631-08:00Dogs and Horses and Snow<br />
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This sweet girl, Katelin, and her parents, Brian and Rellie, came and visited us last week a few days before Christmas. One of Glenn's many great nieces.<br />
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She's a delightful little 2 year old who was especially enamoured with our lovely menagerie of pets. She was constantly worried about where dog, Zoey, was located. Zoey was a very good sport about it.<br />
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She loved playing with a plastic horse and a stick horse, so I tromped through the snow to get out the real deal. She wasn't all that excited about the horse, because she was loving playing in the snow. Crazy girl. And yes, she has bare legs. She had on a skirt and rubber boots for the few minutes she was outside and didn't mind at all. REALLY crazy girl!lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-55009586529341935222015-12-21T10:35:00.001-08:002015-12-21T10:35:18.379-08:00Poxleitner Crazies<br />
Another fun Poxleitner Christmas party last weekend. <br />
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We had about 26 guests who enjoyed homemade chicken noodle soup....<br />
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...small children having fun...</div>
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...adults coloring....</div>
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...a little bit of chaos.....</div>
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...a fun game (working together to stack cups with </div>
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strings tied to a rubberband)...</div>
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...and even a family photo!</div>
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A general fun, crazy time was had by most. I married into quite the family. And I love them all.<br />
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Merry Christmas!<br />
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<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-33075788622736929792015-12-19T11:39:00.000-08:002015-12-19T11:39:29.491-08:00QuinceaƱera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This sweet girl made us into a family of four 15 short years ago. <br />
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After only FOUR weeks of bed rest, she finally came into the world with the sweetest, most laid back personality. That didn't last very long.... :)<br />
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Little Nicole was only 19 months old when Ellea was born. She was just a baby herself, but she's always been an easygoing soul, so she just rolled with it. They've grown up to be the closest of friends (usually), which I love.<br />
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Dear Ellea,<br />
I thank God that he blessed our family with your fun, spunky, loving personality. Thank you for all you do to keep us laughing (and cleaning!). I love your big, soft heart and beautiful smile. I hope the coming year is full to the brim with many blessings and much joy. <br />
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I love you!!<br />
Mom<br />
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<br />lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-19797255731212417252015-12-18T13:32:00.000-08:002015-12-18T13:32:20.409-08:00Music and Sewing<br />
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It was Christmas concert time around here this week. Morgan has taken up the trumpet for 5th grade band. <br />
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He's doing really well, but seems undecided whether he loves band or not. As a former band nerd myself, it makes me happy that our school requires all students to learn some sort of instrument in 5th and 6th grade. That way kids get a taste of band and can decide to stick with it or move on. We'll see in a couple years if he sticks with it or moves on.<br />
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Nicole was not in band last year for the first time in 6 years. She went back to it this year and is loving it. Most of the songs played by the band this year at the junior/senior high concert were played by the combo jr/sr high band and they did very well for such a young band.<br />
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The high schoolers also presented one song together. For a small group they sounded great. <br />
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The quilts in the background were put up as decoration for the concert. Sadly, although Ellea is in sewing this year and had a beautiful pieced quilt on display, I didn't think to get a picture of it. <br />
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So, while I failed to document this beautiful quilt's display, I can still document it's craftsmanship. This girl is an excellent seamstress because of her incredible attention to detail. She was tasked with choosing a pattern and material from the school's supply of miscellaneous fabric to create a scrap quilt (we purchased the border fabrics). She whipped this puppy out in no time. </div>
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So, there you have it. Between band and sewing, we have our creative juices flowing.</div>
lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-32271117956704015882015-12-15T08:37:00.001-08:002015-12-15T08:37:21.961-08:00Yucky Drinks & Expensive Naps<br />
Because my dad had colon cancer in his 40's (which they caught and treated, thankfully), I am the lucky recipient of regular colonoscopies at a younger age than most. My first colonoscopy was about 6 years ago. I have been procrastinating scheduling another, but I finally had it yesterday.<br />
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The worst part? Not the stuff they make you drink (although it does taste pretty awful). Not all the time in the loo (although that gets a little old...you might want to take a book along - you'll be in there awhile). And not the procedure itself (thanks to some fabulous drugs it's really just an expensive nap). <br />
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No, the worst part is the requirement to fast on a clear liquid diet the day before. I like food. <u>A lot</u>. It took all my willpower not to just wander into the kitchen on Sunday and quench those hunger pains. It sure makes you appreciate all our abundance. We are very fortunate.<br />
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They did remove a couple polyps, which is not unusual. Haven't heard if those polyps were precancerous, but if so, I'm grateful they're gone. It's not fun, but I'm happy to comply if it means keeping myself healthy. If you're over 50 and haven't had a colonoscopy or are due for another, or if you have a family history of colon cancer, do me a favor and talk to your doctor about it. It's important.<br />
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I'm going to go eat something now. I'm hungry.lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-82447818580791163912015-12-07T08:13:00.002-08:002015-12-07T08:13:39.454-08:00Three Christmas Trees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We finally went out and got a Christmas tree this weekend. <br />
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We killed two birds with one stone, so to speak, because Glenn thought this particular tree looked like it was rotten inside, so wanted it gone anyway. I love it when his forester tendencies and our desire for a nice tree come together!<br />
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We offered to help him carry the tree, but he was determined to do it himself. Morgan talked us into getting a little tree for his room, too. And then Ellea got in on the tree action, so we have three trees in our house. That's a first!<br />
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Hauling our tree home. <br />
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Morgan sledded his tree home. Not many people can say they've sledded with a Christmas tree. Not many trees can say they've gone sledding.lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2024388578921466239.post-31698505219416343252015-12-03T08:32:00.001-08:002015-12-03T08:32:21.250-08:00Glenn's New Wheels<br />
The sawmill has been short enough help to manage all the logs that are getting delivered lately. Glenn has volunteered to help out by operating heavy equipment which isn't part of his normal job responsibilities.<br />
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The kids and I stopped by one day last weekend to bring him lunch and check out his new wheels.<br />
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And we were duly impressed. The wheels are about as tall as Morgan. Glenn was tired at the end of the day, but I think he had fun.<br />
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What little boy doesn't love operating a life-sized Tonka truck? All those years playing in the dirt piles outside have payed off.lorettapoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01087484766768670721noreply@blogger.com0