Brie: …and silly bands.

It was the first vacation with the kids that we’ve taken where we didn’t stay at someone’s house -

all alone – just the 4 of us…which was probably my favorite part.

I came home feeling very bonded to my 3 favorite people on the planet.

We finger-painted…(twice),

went swimming…(twice),

planted sticks…that I’m sure is someone’s firewood now,

made s’mores,

and conquered big obstacles

I’ll remember this trip forever…can’t wait to do it again

]]> http://nicoleduplechain.wordpress.com/2010/06/29/camping-2010/feed/ 2 nicoleduplechain http://nicoleduplechain.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/time-is-flying/ http://nicoleduplechain.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/time-is-flying/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:44:30 +0000 nicoleduplechain http://nicoleduplechain.wordpress.com/?p=789 ]]> Brie & Alex on New Years’ Eve 2008:

Brie & Alex on New Years’ Eve 2009:

“Mom, Alex is my best friend.” -Brie

Brie: “No ma’am.” (while looking me dead in the eye)

I’m thinking we have a bigger problem than her coloring on her body…

Me: “Brie, can I take a picture of your arms?”

I was thinking I’d want to remember this moment later…

Brie: “Sure, Mom!!! And look how cool I colored my other arm!!”

Help me, Father

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

Job 8:21

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person: having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them out. Just as they are – chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”

Wow. I want to be a friend like that.

I recently looked over my goals from 2009 and while I’d only met about 1/2 of them,

I felt amazingly full reflecting on the year.

Some of the Dup highlights:

Our precious girls turned 1 and 3

Brad and I celebrated10 years of marriage – we went to NYC

Both our girls had their first surgeries

We had our 2nd miscarriage

Sage started walking…and running

I turned 30

Brie started preschool and dancing

Brad completed 11 years on staff at HPC

I led a bible study with my good friend, Sarah

Brie went to the beach for the first time. She built a huge sandcastle with her Uncle Buck

Brad and I spent a night in New Orleans at the Ritz Carlton – a gift from some great friends

Brad helped pioneer the 1st annual Dirt Conference

We all spent a week in Washington, DC with the 19 members of the Becnel family

Brie was the flower girl in my cousin’s wedding

Brad traveled to Raleigh, Little Rock, and San Diego for work

Brie and I went to Florida on a special girls’ trip

It was a fantastic year. God is so good. Looking forward to 2010

Notice the wall behind her…

And this is her giving me her dad’s you-see-what-had-happened-was face:

Clearly, it’s the crayon’s fault.

Concept adopted from Heather Whittaker’s blog

Apparently so does Sage.

That would be the Tullos family that she’s standing on tiptoe to kiss.

They just so happen to have 2 adorable sons…

Ok, so maybe its not just the cards that she loves.

It’s the actual people in the cards.

I agree Sage

Several branches have more than one ornament on them.

Brad and I were gonna “fix” it.

But then we decided it was fixed