Messymom – Page 49 – Making the Best of What Looks Like a Mess

The Lego Americana Roadshow

The one good thing about my computer malfunctioning was that when I brought it in to the Apple store at the Kenwood Mall I happened upon The Lego® Americana Roadshow- Building Across America.

I brought my kids back to experience it today.

Z LOVES History and LEGO® so this would be perfect for him! Here is a photo he made me take of his latest creation.

I have hundreds of these photos because he always wants his buildings and designs documented. Like most kids, Z just LOVES building. Unfortunately he is away at camp this week so he didn’t get to go with us, but the younger two still really enjoyed the event. Even J and I loved it. You don’t have to be a kid to like LEGO® right? I know “the box says it’s for ages 8-14” but “That’s just a suggestion. They have to put that one there”. That’s a LEGO Movie quote for those that haven’t seen it and if not, I suggest you do.

As far as a really brief overview of what to expect from the exhibit, there are several different historical USA landmark structures on display throughout the mall made completely out of LEGO® bricks.

There is a huge White House, the Statue of Liberty, the Old North Church was really pretty, and we especially loved the Lincoln Memorial because there was even a LEGO® Abraham Lincoln statue inside, just like in real life.

Throughout the mall you can easily pick up a map that shows where all of the displays are and there is a question and answer section on the back that can be completed and returned at the LEGO® store for a LEGO® American Roadshow poster.

Pretty cool and very educational.

On top of that there is a hands on activity center by the food court.

Children are encouraged to build with LEGO® toys and even race their own LEGO® car creations on a derby track.

Everyone there was having such a great time and the staff were really friendly and helpful too.

I am not getting paid to say any of this I promise. This is just a little tidbit of info from one LEGO® mom to another because it’s such a great opportunity for some FREE summer fun that also encourages creativity and learning about our nation at the same time.

The LEGO® Americana RoadShow that we visited was at the Kenwood Towne Centre Mall in Cincinnati Ohio. It will only be there through this Sunday, July 19th though. Then they’re off to the next stop which is Hoover Alabama. All of the details for their schedule can be found at LEGO.com

I’m telling you, if you have a chance to go and you are lucky enough for one of the stops to be in your area then you should definitely take advantage of that. From what I understand it’s something new that they are still developing. Let’s show LEGO® how much we love community events like this and maybe they’ll add more locations to future tours!

Check out their Facebook page for more information.

I know Everything is Awesome, but The LEGO Americana Roadshow is really REALLY awesome.

By Natalie|2015-07-15T20:24:17+00:00July 15, 2015|Creativity, Family, Frugal Living|2 Comments

Finding Out We Were Pregnant

I think most moms remember where they were when they found out they were having a baby for the first time. Well, you were probably in the bathroom, but I guess I mean where you were at in life. Or maybe you remember the date or details with every child. It’s one of life’s most surreal and indescribable moments.

With my first pregnancy I took a test and then announced it to J at the Macaroni Grill while playing hangman with our crayons on the paper table cloth.

Then with the next pregnancy I had Z color a picture for J saying saying he was going to be a big brother.

With Ezie I switched things up. Instead of me announcing to J I had him tell me. I saw it on a show one time. I took the test, but he was the one to go in three minutes later and come out and tell me the news. If you consider this keep in mind this also means your husband will be the one to tell you if you are not pregnant (which did happen once). So it can get emotional, but it was really special to hear the news from my husband that we were expecting our third.

This last time I thought why not just find out together?

Once your test leaves the bathroom it opens up a whole world of possibilities really. You could take the test and then tuck it away to save after you hike up to the top of a mountain. You could have the life changing experience at the same place he proposed. In our case we went home after a nice date night and then opened a little gift bag while snuggling on the couch. That’s where we were when we found out our lives were going to change forever, again.

The thing I worried about when I started drumming up this idea was the possibility of accidentally seeing the results. That’s an easy fix though since you can just cover up the result window with tape.

I used Christmas tape because that’s what I had. It could be any colored tape. Once you take the test you can put the cap on and seal it in a zipper bag. Most test results will last up to 24 hours, but you will want to check the specific brand to know for sure ahead of time. That would be no fun to plan to take a canoe out on the lake or something and then just see a blank screen because your plus sign faded.

Another obvious downside to finding out together is that you don’t know if you are pregnant are not, which could be very anticlimactic if the test is negative. I can see how this is an impractical approach that would NOT be ideal for all situations. For me, since this was my fourth and I was tired of finding out alone. I KNEW I was pregnant. I was just waiting to confirm it with a test. So I just waited a little longer so that we could schedule a date night and celebrate afterwards with a special package and lemon meringue cheesecake. It was fun!

So that is the story of how we found out we were pregnant this time. I’ll never forget it.

By Natalie|2015-07-09T14:38:55+00:00July 9, 2015|My Life, Pregnancy & Birth|13 Comments

Paper Plate Cow Masks

My family LOVES Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation day. I can never remember to dress my children in green on St. Patrick’s Day, but not a summer goes by that we don’t participate in a holiday made up by a fast food chain that allows you to get free food!

Whether you are looking for an easy way to get a free meal on July 14th, or you have a school play to dress up for, or maybe you are just looking for a fun craft, these DIY paper plate masks are so simple. You may have all of the supplies on hand, if not they are cheap and easy to find.

Supply List

Paper Plate

One sheet of pink, black, and tan/brown construction paper

Scissors

Hole punch (or just use scissors or something sharp)

Black marker

Glue/and or tape

String (preferable elastic)

First cut out a 5 inch triangular shape out of the plate for the mouth. It will be close to a fourth of the plate.

Next cut an oval out of the pink paper to be used for the nose. It will be slightly smaller than the widest part of the mouth. About 4 inches. Then draw two ovals for the nostrils.

You will also fold the tan paper in half to cut out two identical horns about 3 inches long. Then some ears made of black paper that is a pointy oval shape, along with the same shape in pink that is about an inch smaller.

Cut holes for the eyes (put the mask on to pencil in the approximate width) and punch holes for the string.

Lastly, glue or tape all the parts into place and tie your string into the holes.

Now you are ready for the fun to begin!

Enjoy your new mask!

By Natalie|2015-07-07T17:43:52+00:00July 7, 2015|Crafts, Frugal Living|8 Comments

The BIG Ultrasound

I can’t believe the pregnancy is already half way over.

I am feeling well. I still get a little nauseous from time to time, but it’s definitely on the decline. The acid reflux is just barely starting to make short little unwanted visit. Boo. For the most part I feel fantastic though.

I am to the point that I feel the baby moving now and it won’t be long before the kids and J will be able to. We have our FIRST ultrasound on Monday.

Quick poll for anyone who has had a baby in the past decade or so.

Did you have more than one ultrasound?

At my first appointment they said that if they were unable to detect a heartbeat at the beginning then they would, but that wasn’t an issue so they just went ahead with the exam and didn’t schedule a sonogram until 20 weeks. This is a first for me. I usually had one early on where you can see the tiny little bean inside and then a second at the halfway point.

With that said, I’m excited to see the baby on the black and white monitor for the first time. This is always an emotional moment for me. Of course I want reassurance that the baby is healthy and everything is coming along fine and I am definitely anxious about finding out the gender!

Most people are guessing that it is a girl. The pattern so far has been boy, girl, boy… So it seems a girl would fit right in with our current rhythm. However, I have had some STRONG boy vibes. So much so that I was worried about psyching myself out if I was wrong. I didn’t want the baby to feel like I don’t want a girl if that’s what I’m having!

It’s just that we have a boy name picked out already and the baby would be 3 years apart from Ezie (whereas he/she will be 6 years apart from SJ) so I can picture the boys playing well together and being in school together. Another reason maybe that I was the only girl with 3 brothers in my family so I know what to expect with that.

On the flip side, if I am wrong and it’s a girl there are lots of things to look forward to with that. I was sorting through their stash of costumes the other day and I thought about all of the princess clothes that SJ would be grown out of before you know it and I have so many more little girl party ideas that I won’t even get to throw if I don’t have another girl. There is also dividing up rooms and the convenience of an even number of boys and girls per room.

I’m rambling out loud, but needless to say it’s a win-win regardless of whether the baby is a boy or girl. I am still really anxious to find out so that I can hit up the yard sales and also clear out some of the old stuff we won’t need anymore depending on what the gender is.

Did any of you other mamas feel like you knew what you were having?

By Natalie|2015-07-03T09:54:22+00:00July 3, 2015|My Life, Pregnancy & Birth|2 Comments

Real Life in a Small Space

I have had such an overwhelming response to the “Small Space Living for Big Families“. It has been awesome! I have had the opportunity to connect with so many other families from ALL OVER who are also making the most out of living with less. The Facebook comments have been… diverse. Most of them are extremely positive, but I did get some feedback from skeptics because all of the photos I shared were of the apartment empty. They couldn’t imagine what “real life” in 800 square feet with three small children would actually look like. For most people the concept is a nightmare.

Just to be clear, if you can afford and manage a large or even average home that’s fantastic. It’s a personal choice. Some people do it out of conviction, for us it’s necessity. Either way the idea is to find satisfaction despite what our culture says we must have. Our children don’t have to live a solemn life of deprivation, just because they don’t have their own bedroom and playroom.

For those that follow my blog, I post pictures of my family in our apartment all the time so you know we are real people and you’ve seen most of this before. For everyone else I have gone through some old photos that show how we manage year round in less than 800 square feet. Get ready for an overwhelming amount of snapshots.

We’ll start with January.

Nerf darts. I did a whole post about this and it’s even been featured on other blogs.

We definitely go sledding and stuff, but the kids can spend hours out in this little patio throwing snowballs at the sliding door and building snowmen in the winter. It’s basically turns into a giant sandbox when it snows which means I get stay warm behind the glass!

Here is a pic of the kids filling out their class Valentine’s.

My daughter’s birthday is in March and I wrote two posts about how we had the ultimate tea party for her birthday.

The kid’s share a room for now and as you can see they consider it “Fun Land”

This is when Ezie was still in a crib and they didn’t have bunk beds yet.

and this isn’t the best pic, but it’s the new setup. The swing chair is from Ikea. There is a small trampoline in the other end of the room. There is a toy box and a book shelf hanging on the wall with tons and tons of books. They share a closet too.

Here is Z is posing in front of the apartment with his end of the year school project.

Fun with food.

Our one little bathroom seconds as a salon.

Bubbles on the patio is always a great choice for summer.

The guys having fun making race cars and a track out of paper.

Living on the third floor of an apartment means lots of stairs everyday.

Another successful birthday party. This one was camping theme! Check out the whole post with all the details here.

Floor puzzle

Dancing and dress up time

Checking herself out in the master bedroom

Building a model car with dad

Building a pinewood derby car with dad

Winning a trophy for pinewood derby! The suitcase is significant because my dad came in for the event and he spent the night. We have had many guest sleepover on multiple occasions!

More playtime

Crafts

We are always out of town with family for Christmas so we don’t do any big decorations, but we do Truth in the Tinsel and some other fun traditions.

Our one piece of furniture to sit on.

Many, many meals have been made in this tiny kitchen.

We love playing cards and board games.

Reading time!

They don’t usually sleep in our bed, but there are mornings we wake up like this!

The truth is we aren’t home that much. Thanks to generous gifts we have had annual memberships to the nature center, the sports and fitness club, and the science museum. We also frequent parks and libraries, along with play dates and road trips. So I am not trying to imply that we just love being cooped up together in our small apartment all the time. What I am trying to prove with this post is that we are a REAL family that has a lot of fun and shared memories using every last inch of our little space.

I feel like God has brought us to this place for a reason. We’ve learned and gained so much from this season of our lives. If I could change the past and give my children a bigger home and a more luxurious or glamorous lifestyle I wouldn’t do it. My dream house wish list is longer than my weekly grocery list, so don’t get me wrong I am a big fan of amenities, but for now it’s the simple life and I SIMPLY wouldn’t have it any other way.

By Natalie|2022-03-16T14:45:46+00:00July 1, 2015|Family, Frugal Living, Lifestyle, Simple Living, Uncategorized|11 Comments

This is Me

I remember when I was 22. It feels ridiculously too recent. Surely 10 years have not flown by! It’s just not possible. I am still as youthful, relevant, and spunky as ever right? Sometimes I feel that way. Other days my mortality and decay is spreading like a crack on a windshield. In fact, I feel like I remember the moment when the metaphorical rock hit my windshield.

I was 29 and all kinds of major life changing events were happening. I mean MAJOR. The year I turned 30 was the most stressful year of my life. It was like driving through a hail storm and then… CRACK! Suddenly I noticed a wrinkle which slowly became more wrinkles, some saggy skin, strange hairs, and grey hairs. I analyze every detail as though the world is watching and the headlines in tomorrow’s newspaper will be announcing that Natalie Busch is old.

Then I sit behind a 90 year old woman in church who is hunched over so badly her face is pointed to the ground and she is forced to strain her neck to keep from staring at her feet. Her hands are curled up tightly in her lap. Her skin is soft and translucent as if it is fading into oblivion. She is wheeled into the sanctuary every Sunday where she praises the Lord with all that is left in her. As her body turns inward into itself her soul turns upward and outward. She is so peaceful. In the moments that I observe and admire her I realize how silly I have been for thinking that at 32 years of age I am old!

Tomorrow is my birthday and it has finally occurred to me that if I can’t be content now, then I never will.

I spent far too many years wounded and insecure. I used to hate myself. I don’t know if you would say I had an eating disorder. If I did I wasn’t very good at it because the more I hated my body the more weight I gained. I definitely had body image issues though. I would do crash diets left and right. I tried every kind of exercise regimen under the sun and I even reverted to pills. When I didn’t see the results I was looking for I would binge and eat in secret. I was truly depressed. It wasn’t just a little slump. It was the pit of despair. I felt hideous and unwanted.

10 years ago I was so desperate to change, I remember coming up with a slogan around my birthday. It was “A Better Me at 23”. Mind you, this didn’t mean a more selfless me, or a more spirit led me. No, that would be great if that was what I meant by better, but the reality was it was another big diet plan. This called for another round of “Before” photos. I was determined that my 23rd year would be the year I would change! And did I?

No. I did not, because my heart and my mindset stayed the same and I refused to address what was going on inside of me.

I was a server at Macaroni Grill at the time and one day my manager came up to me and said “These guys asked for our prettiest waitress and I want to hurry up and get that two top bussed so I can put them in your section. You’re okay with one more table?” He was dead serious. The sad thing is I wasn’t flattered. I didn’t flip my hair and think Oh boy, big tippers. Right this way gentlemen. I wasn’t disgusted and thinking I am not waiting on those sexists morons. What do they think this is Hooters?

No. I didn’t think any of that. I thought Oh no. They are going to be disappointed. They wanted to have the prettiest waitress and all they get is me.

I have never told anyone that story before so this takes a lot for me to admit. It’s embarrassing and sad. Everything about that story is what is wrong with our women in our society today 1.) That I would think that I owed these men something as a woman and 2.) That who I was wasn’t enough.

I have no idea what those men’s intentions were. They were elderly business men and honestly I think they were just being goofy and playful. This isn’t about the men. The point is that I had bought into the lies about who I really am!

The Lord has delivered me from so much since then. I can’t even begin to express how much freedom I have experienced in the past ten years. I still struggle though. I think most women do. That insecurity will rear it’s ugly head like a bottle of whiskey calling out to an alcoholic. Having the physical evidence of aging has not been easy for me. It makes me want to revert back to that depressed lost 22 year old that hated how she looked and worked hard to change her outward appearance, but I know better now. In my own strength I am definitely weak, but through Christ I am whole. And although it might sound cliche like a pop song or Dove commercial, I am beautiful just as I am.

It’s been Ten years since I made the “better me at 23” declaration. I’ll be 33 tomorrow and this year I have a new slogan.

It’s, “This is me at 33”.

This. Is. Me.

By Natalie|2015-06-26T10:29:07+00:00June 26, 2015|Uncategorized|16 Comments

Living in a Small Space

I’m over at The Humbled Homemaker today talking about how our family of 5 lives in less than 800 square feet. It’s a very brief summery of the 31 day series that I did in 2013 “Lots of Hope in a Little Home”. I apologize to all of the people that have clicked over to that page and gotten nowhere through the links!!!

I am still work out dozens of little technical issues from when I moved my blog from Blogger to WordPress last month, one of which is the fact that the links didn’t transfer. I just now finally corrected it! So for those that are interested in a lot more details about how we have made small space living work for us then you can get to all of the posts through the index page found her e (or the little button on my sidebar).

Thanks to all of the new followers and friends that have ended up here through the guest post. I do hope more of you will introduce yourself, I would love to connect!

Also, a big thank you to Erin from the Humbled Homemaker for giving me this opportunity. If you haven’t already heard of her blog then you should definitely see what hundreds of thousands people are raving about.

When I discovered The Humbled Homemaker via a podcast that I listen to (How They Blog) I felt like I was listening to a long lost friend share her story. Her blog is about motherhood, family life, healthy eating, frugality, ministry, and natural living. Sounds a lot like what I like to blog about! Because we had so much in common I thought I would pitch a guest post that her readers might enjoy and much to my surprise and delight she responded right away.

So check out my post about “Small Space Living for Big Families”

and if you want to know more you can see my series “Lots of Hope in a Little Home”

Thanks again for coming by, it really means a lot to me.

By Natalie|2015-06-22T18:45:10+00:00June 22, 2015|Uncategorized|6 Comments

Summer School

I have been blown away by SJ’s recent progress with speech. This time a year ago these were the new phrases she said

Daddy has keys

I want chocolate milk

Snack for later

These short sentences were huge breakthroughs for her at the time!

Aiming high in this photo from last summer.

These are the latest things I have heard her say. Of course there are countless others, but these are ones I managed to write down.

Daddy, I want shut this because I am hot. This was referring to the sunroof.

Mommy I found missing piece under bed. This was referring to a puzzle.

One minute. I am trying to put all stuff in my bag.

Ezie won’t get out of bathroom mommy! There are two people in bathroom! Two people is bad choice.

That not kitty cat. That Hello Kitty. See he has a bow on his head and he has pants on.

There mommy car over there next to daddy’s car.

I like go to Chuck E. Cheese with my family.

Obviously she is still leaving articles out of sentences, but we are moving right along.

Her preschool graduation program. Some children are wearing a cap and gown because they were graduating from the school and will begin mainstream schooling.

She had less than a week off before starting summer school, but the summer program is only half day and at the end of last week she came home wearing a straw hat with a lei and drinking the milk from a coconut.

The end of beach week at summer school.

So there is no shortage of fun. It’s like camp for her.

In other exciting news she is officially a Kindergartener! I honestly didn’t know how they would place her considering her speech percentile is so very low, but she will be in a credited kindergarten program at her deaf school. The curriculum will certainly be modified, but she has already transferred to the kindergarten classroom with her new teacher. So far she really likes it.

A silly pose in front of the sign at her school that she has attended for just over 2 years now.

I have had some total tear jerker moments lately hearing her talk to other children at the park, or even just saying the title of the movie “Frozen” and the names of the characters “Elsa, Anna, and Olaf”. There was a time not that long ago that only dreamed of her being able to say the names of movies or things that she enjoyed. She loves to talk about the baby and how mommy is growing and growing.

I’ve had so many people give me such encouraging reports about how they heard her talking for the first time or just acknowledging how far she’s come. It’s been another big wave of vocabulary. It does tend to come in waves and summer is usually a plataue, but I am really, REALLY hoping she continues to ride this wave and show growth throughout the summer, even as therapy slows down.

I’ll end with the best compliment of all which comes from my 4 old niece who will be 5 in a couple weeks.

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SJ with her cousin last weekend.

This is what I was told she said to her parents after spending Sunday afternoon with SJ

“Guess what!? I almost forgot to tell you the good news!

SJ can talk almost as good as me now. She says hi and can say other things sounding just like me!”

Little kids don’t sugar coat details, we know that. There is no doubt that at 5 years old other children will notice that SJ is different, but to hear her cousin give this update is legit. She is slowly, but surely starting to catch up.

I curled her hair for church and it lasted two seconds of course. It was already flat by the time I took this photo.

By Natalie|2023-06-12T06:34:54+00:00June 19, 2015|Speech Therapy, Uncategorized|8 Comments

The Birth Place Is…

One thing I get a lot of comments on is the diversity of my birth locations. After this birth I will have delivered all 4 of my children at 4 completely different kinds of facilities.

1. A very naturalistic birth center that was pretty much just an old house staffed exclusively with midwives.

2. My house in my bath tub

3. A hospital with a midwife

4. A birth center within a hospital

So they are the same in that they all include midwives, but they are all also very different.

I never set out to be all over the map on this decision, but we have literally lived all over the map, and different states have different laws/options. If I lived in Dallas I would be having midwife Amy Allred every time hands down, because she is incredible. That was an intentional name drop for anyone looking for a midwife in the DFW area.

Amy and I at my baby shower for SJ

However, since I can’t have Amy fly out to Ohio for this birth I am still extremely happy with the place I have found. It’s called Family Beginnings Birthing Center.

Excuse the photo quality. I just took a quick snapshot of a brochure with my iPhone.

There is nothing else like it in the states of Ohio and I have to drive nearly an hour to get there, but it’s going to be totally worth it!*

It’s inside of a hospital so they are equipped to do anything that you would have at a hospital birth (including newborn hearing screenings and you guys know why that is important for us). But they are also 100% geared toward natural birth. Here is a little excerpt from their website so that I can brag about just how amazing this place is!

“We encourage you to share the experience of birth with any family and friends you choose.

Our nurses are dedicated to the natural childbirth process and are experienced in natural childbirth labor support. They assist, support and guide the family using natural childbirth tools. You may choose movement, aromatherapy, music, positioning, labor tools, and water therapy to cope with labor and birth. Nurses encourage you to use positions for delivery that feel right to you. Each room is equipped with a large Jacuzzi® tub.

We encourage your family to make choices about nursing support during labor and birth. For postpartum care, Family Beginnings has 24-hour rooming-in with no separation of the family unit unless complications arise.

We believe childbirth is a natural process and a spiritual journey for you and your family. We empower your family to make choices and support you in bringing your baby into the world.”

For the record I do not push my birth philosophies on anyone! For me though, this is EXACTLY what I want for my final labor and delivery. The only thing I don’t like is that I won’t know which midwife I will have at the birth. There are 5 and so far I have met 2 (and been very happy with both). I will eventually meet all of them and when the time comes to have the baby it just lands on whoever is on call. I can deal with that knowing that each of these midwives are there to support me and my birth plan.

I am so excited about this birth center. Did you read the part about large Jacuzzi tub in each room? And there is a crib too!

I won’t actually tour the birth center until after my next appointment which is in 3 weeks. This is also the appointment where we find out the gender!!! I am getting butterflies already.

So that’s the scoop.

I’m 17 weeks with baby #4, due November 24th, and will be delivering at Family Beginnings Birth Center in Dayton Ohio.

A glimpse of my baby bump and two little goof balls (Z is visiting family in Texas)

*I drove the same distance to get to my midwife in Lexington for Ezie’s birth. I am going to have to be really in tune with my body because I can have quick labors, but since this isn’t my first rodeo I feel comfortable with this location.

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By Natalie|2015-06-17T10:46:58+00:00June 17, 2015|Uncategorized|16 Comments

Look Back and Laugh: VBS Innuendos
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Look Back and Laugh: VBS Innuendos

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Look Back and Laugh: VBS Innuendos

I am really hoping to start the link up next month. So get your embarrassing, quirky, odd, or laughable stories ready for when the Tuesday Look Back and Laugh Link Up begins. I’m shooting for July 14th, but I’ll keep you posted. For now I am just going to continue to share memories of my own and since we are in the thick of VBS season I thought I would recycle this story from back when I was involved in VBS.

We were in the planning stages of the VBS production and knew that we were going to go with a camping theme. The children’s pastor at the time suggested “Camping Gone Wild”. Keep in mind this story happened about 10 years ago when the disgusting pornographic “Girls Gone Wild” empire was a big newsworthy business. So we decided against using anything “gone wild” for church promotional material and we went with “The Great Camping Adventure” instead.

That’s me as one of the camping hillbillies.

To go along with the camping theme the kids were divided up by age groups and each group had a forest animal name like, skunk, raccoon, or owl. Every night when the children’s pastor was trying to rile up the kids he would say things like “Are there any skunks in the house?” and the kids would scream. One time when addressing the owl team he said “Let’s hear it for the HOOOOTERS!” he caught himself and immediately corrected it by saying owls, after his face turned completely red. The kids didn’t even notice (which is quite refreshing to know there is still some innocence left in the world). The adults on the other hand couldn’t hold back the laughter.

By Natalie|2015-06-16T09:44:01+00:00June 16, 2015|Uncategorized|9 Comments

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