2.29.2012

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021 banana bread

I met some friends for our monthly breakfast. It is so nice to get together on a regular basis. It was raining and while we were eating, we noticed this older gentleman and gal who were inching along down the ramp outside. My friend and I went to help get him into the car as he was getting soaked and his daughter didn't really seem to know what to do with him. Apparently he had Parkinson's and he was having a really bad day. I am so glad he didn't fall!

I made some banana bread yesterday and it turned out much better this time! I'm still not sure what went wrong last time, but I am glad it didn't happen again!

The girls had their typical Wednesday. School and dance. I love picking them up from school because they each run to greet me at full speed. Abby nearly knocks me over she is getting so big!

Mckenzie managed to get gum stuck in her hair again today. I had no idea she had gum (maybe I should be a better mom and keep my purse where they can't get to it) and they were running into the pillows on the couch. I am hoping I don't have to take her gum privileges away...

BTW, Happy Birthday Dawn!

2.28.2012

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027 Mckenzie gum

When I put Mckenzie in the car after church tonight, she started crying. I asked her what was wrong and she showed me a lump of gum stuck in her hair. I have no idea how she managed to get it there, but we had to cut it out when we got home. She was not happy about cutting her hair, but luckily it isn't noticeable. 
I am linking up with Courtney over at  Click it up a Notch. I get to post my favorite photo from the month of February. It was hard to choose for me because there are a couple of portraits of the girls I took this month that look great in my opinion and I plan to make them into canvases. But, this one just feels right. It wasn't planned and I captured M just chilling. I feel like I have gotten better but I still have a loooong way to go :) Maybe someday I will get there....

018 mckenzie My settings are SS 1/125 F/3.2 ISO 320
Click It Up A Notch

2.27.2012

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Another Monday :) Got both girls off to school without too much drama and made it to the gym. I ran nearly 4 miles today! It is starting to get easier. Hopefully easy enough that I will be able to finish the race in May.

I didn't take any pictures today. Maybe tomorrow :)

2.26.2012

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We were in the car this morning and for once, we hit every green light (at least 17 according to Abby) we came to. Mckenzie decided that today was a greeen light kind of day. I guess that means it is a good day :) We were looking at treadmills today. We still haven't decided what to get yet. Hopefully we will decide soon. Although, I am not looking forward to having a treadmill in the living room. There is just no other place to put one. We were out to dinner tonight and Mckenzie fell asleep at the dinner table. She laid down on the booth seat and within minutes she was out. So, we boxed up her dinner and fed her when we got home. We had to turn on a little Party in the USA in order to wake her up on the way home. She started dancing before she even opened her eyes! Both girls just love that song. It cracks me up to listen to them sing and to watch them dance.

2.25.2012

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Scott made it home this morning. We are glad he is home, but it served as a 6 am wake up call for Abby. There was no way she was going back to sleep once he arrived and she plopped herself down in our bed. Poor Scott was exhausted as he had just finished flying for 18 hours and had been awake for 30 hours. I don't think I could do that!

I took the girls to dance so he could get some rest. Mckenzie enjoyed herself as always. I think dance was a great choice for her. She is always walking around on her tiptoes or doing curtsies.

We all went out for a late lunch and then we went bowling. Mckenzie has to throw the slowest. ball. ever. I shouldn't even say throw. She just drops the ball and hopes it makes it to the end! Abby, on the other hand, runs up to the lane and throws it as hard as she can. Her balls make the loudest thunk when she drops them :)


I know this isn't an award winning photo, but I just love her sweet little face :)

007 mckenzie

009 Abby


017 Abby


Waiting for the ball to make it all the way down!
018 kenzie

2.24.2012

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Abby woke up early this morning and was over the moon that they tooth fairy had paid her a visit last night. The tooth fairy left her a book and a little bit of cash :) She couldn't wait to get to school so she could show her teacher she had lost her tooth last night.  I still find it odd to look at her smile. It has been the same for so long and now she looks older, different. Still my little girl, but it is just another sign that she is growing up.

Mckenzie was feeling much better today and was back to her normal self. Unfortunately, Abby seems to have picked it up. :( She said her tummy hurt tonight at bedtime. Hopefully hers will be as short lived as Mckenzie's.

I was helping Mckenzie button her raincoat this morning and she looked at me with the sweetest face and said "I want to be a mommy when I grow up" (My heart melted when I heard that) Then she said "I want to be a mommy so I can make beds." Really? Is that all she thinks I do? Silly girl! 003 cookies

I made some chocolate chip cookie bars that I found on Pinterest. They were a little dry, but they did taste good dunked in a glass of milk. Abby liked them so much she had two! Mckenzie picked out the chocolate chips and was done.

2.23.2012

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Its a big day around here! Abby lost her very first tooth!!!! Her two bottom front teeth have been wiggly FOREVER and finally the one on the right was loose enough for her to pull out. She had been playing with it today (she doesn't ever really do this so I was wondering how loose it really was) and I asked her if I could check it out. It was really loose so I encouraged her to go to the bathroom and pull it. She was excited at first and even asked if Mckenzie and I would cheer for her. So we were her little cheerleaders and it was all giggles and smiles until she twisted it enough to see it bleed. Then she got scared and started crying, saying she didn't want to lose her tooth today. So, after a lot of coaxing (at least 10 minutes), I got her to give it a final tug. She was so surprised when it fell out into her hand. The look on her face was priceless. Shock. Amazement. Pride. That is what was written on her face. She couldn't decide to look at her tooth or at her new smile. She has been telling me to look at her new smile all night.  And to be honest, I feel like she hasn't stopped smiling since. So now the tooth is neatly wrapped in a Kleenex under Abby's pillow awaiting the arrival of the tooth fairy.

Mckenzie hasn't been feeling the greatest today. I sent her to school because she seemed okay this morning, but it seems she has picked up a GI bug. Yuck :( I am hoping she feels better soon and the rest of us avoid it.


Playing around with her tooth.
001 Abby


Pulling on it...
004 Abby


So close!!!
009 Abby's first lost tooth


It's out!
010 Abby's first lost tooth


Checkin it out!
011 Abby's first lost tooth


The Tooth
017 Abby first lost tooth (FRL)


Abby's new smile :)
018 Abby's first lost tooth

2.22.2012

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I finally made it back to the gym and I pretty much rocked it today. I ran a 5k with my best time ever (38 minutes and 50 seconds) and then ran a little more :) I know that isn't a great time for many people, but it is for me. Even though I didn't get registered for the 10 mile race in May (I still can't believe over 30,000 people registered in 5 hours!) I am still working to my goal of 300 miles this year. I think I will try to do some 5k's and see what else is out there.

The girls were busy today. School and literacy class this afternoon. They made crowns with glitter and marker in class. Cute, but very messy. Mckenzie came home with marker on her forehead and in her hair, all up her arms and down the front of her dress. I guess she had a great time making it :)


001 Abby


006 MCkenzie


We went for a walk/bike ride this afternoon since it was so gorgeous here. It was at least 60 degrees! We brought the dog along and boy was that a mistake. She wanted to keep up with Abby who was riding her bike, but she kept getting tangled in the stoller Mckenzie was riding in. (Mckenzie didn't want to ride her bike because she needed to do her homework, aka her Dora coloring book) Abby did great riding her bike today, although she was concerned there might be bees outside that could sting her. She has been fixated on bees lately and always asks if there are bees outside before we go out to play. I have no idea why she is so concerned with bee stings, but she is.

Abby's dance class is working on their tap routine for their spring recital. It was fun to watch her perform and she had a big smile on her face while she was dancing.

I went to Zumba tonight and the girls had a babysitter. They did much better for her this week. Last week, Abby didn't want to go to bed and she was still up when I got home. Not this week though. I guess threatening to take away her iPad was the key :)

2.21.2012

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Today turned into one of those days. We started off ok, but somewhere we got off track and never really made it back. We had friends over to play and normally the kids get along pretty good, but for some reason, it wasn't working today. They all got along while we did a couple of crafts, but when they went to play, they just couldn't seem to agree on what to do. After they left, it turned into the whiny zone around here and then it was time for church. It was the annual pancake dinner and talent show. Abby loved singing, of course, but Mckenzie was not having it. She only went into practice because I promised her they would give her a rubber ducky if she did and she was beyond disappointed that she didn't get one. In my defense, I didn't realize they weren't getting them until they actually performed. So, when all the kids walked into the church, Mckenzie was crying because she didn't get a ducky and she couldn't walk next to her sister. Poor kid. She sat down with me and happily watched Abby sing the first song (an Oscar the Grouch song). After the song, the teachers started handing out the rubber duckies and Mckenzie was more than happy to run up front and join in. She didn't know the words, but boy could she dance! I am so glad she decided to sing because she looked like she enjoyed it a lot.  

003 Mckenzie



001 abby

2.20.2012

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021 Abby


019 Mckenzie


Scott's Grandma Benson passed away today. I am glad she is no longer suffering and I pray for Scott's family to find peace and understanding in this difficult time.

The girls were amazingly well behaved today. I don't know how or why, but I am not complaining! I took the girls to an indoor play arena today and some friends met us there. After three hours of playing hard, the girls were hot and tired and super sweaty! But they had fun and it was nice to visit with my friend.


2.19.2012

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Thank goodness for antibiotics. I am able to swallow again today :) Abby attended a birthday party for one of her school friends. She said she had a great time and was excited about all the candy in the goodie bag. We spent the rest of the day just hanging out, doing a little of this and a little of that.

We found out that Scott's Grandma Benson had a stroke last night. She hasn't been well for a long time and they have opted for comfort care.  So, if you could say a prayer for her and Scott's family it would be greatly appreciated. 015 Abby Mckenzie

2.18.2012

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Scott was Superdad today, taking care of the girls all by himself. I have strep throat and felt like garbage all day:( Scott took the girls to dance this morning and then he ran errands with them this afternoon. Abby used a Christmas gift card to buy herself a dentist playdoh kit. Yeah! More playdoh in the house! 019 Mckenzie

2.17.2012

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Abby had the day off from school so I scheduled a play date for her. She was very excited to hang out at her friend's house for a good bit of the day. Mckenzie also had a play date and she was beyond happy. She has been begging me to play with this little girl for the longest time and it finally happened :) Mckenzie wasn't gone as long as Abby so I took her to the store to use a gift card she had gotten for Christmas. She picked out a Barbie for herself and even picked out a present for Abby. I love how generous she is. Scott and I had went to the movies with friends tonight. The theater was so cool. It served a full restaurant menu and had these huge reclining chairs. The only downside was that we were in the first row and it was a teeny, tiny bit too close for me, especially during the action scenes. 006 rose



022 valentines candy

2.16.2012

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Mckenzie was the leader in her chef class today so I tried to make it back a little early so I could hang out in class with her. I snuck into her classroom and sat down next to her and it was a good minute before she realized I was there. Her face lit up and she jumped into my lap. I did make it to the gym, but I struggled to get 2 miles in. This cold I have is making it difficult to run :(  Scott came home tonight and in all the excitement we forgot that Abby had Daisies tonight. Oops! We probably wouldn't have sent her anyway since she has been so sad that Scott was gone the last few nights.

001 Abby

Both girls wanted to make necklaces for their friends. Mckenzie lost interest about halfway through. Abby probably could have made one for everyone she knows if I would have let her!

2.15.2012

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I volunteered in Abby's classroom this morning. It is so much fun to hang out in class with her and see how she interacts with others. She is so good in class! It blows my mind at how well she sits down and concentrates on what she is supposed to be doing. Such a polar opposite to what she acts like at home. At home, she is running from one thing to the next! Better she is a bit wild at home though than at school! I managed to get a quick run in at the gym before having to pick both girls up from the preschool this afternoon. Then it was dance for Abby and Zumba for me. Wednesdays are so busy around here! I am always exhausted by the end of it!


021 dakota

2.14.2012

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Happy Valentine's Day! I feel so bad for Scott. He didn't get home from work until 1:30 in the morning and he was out of the house to go back by 6:30. Abby had her school Valentines party and Mckenzie went to a friend's house so I could help out with the party. It was so much fun. The kids made a heart and painted it and then we played freeze dance but instead of freezing when the music stopped, the kids put stickers all over each other. It was hilarious to watch them and I even ended up with a couple of stickers on my face! Abby had a huge smile on her face the entire time. I am so thankful to be able to participate in her school activities. I miss working, but I can work anytime. I can't get these moments back later on.

I watched a friend's children this afternoon and I can't believe how quickly 5 kids can tear apart a room, much less an entire house! I can't really blame the baby since she doesn't even sit up yet, but man, the rest of them were into every toy and game today. Good thing the kids are so sweet!

Abby had a TERRIBLE time going to bed tonight. She was beyond upset that Scott wasn't home for Valentines day. I don't think it was so much about the day as it was about missing Scott. We don't put much importance on Valentines around here. Yes, we let the kids exchange cards at school, but we don't do much at home. Shoot, I didn't even get Scott a card this year. I have no problem having a day to celebrate love, but that is what wedding anniversaries and birthdays are for. Do I like getting flowers? Sure. But I would rather get them on a random day for no reason at all. That to me shows how valued a relationship is. But, this is just my opinion :) I know there are many that just adore this holiday. Anyway, I digress. Abby talked about how she just wanted to spend this Valentines with Scott because she didn't get to spend it with him last year. She was just so upset that she even resorted to asking why Jesus couldn't change the hours that her daddy has to work. How do you explain to a six year old that God has a plan that we may never fully understand but yet it is the right pathway for our family? I tried to get her thinking a little more positively by talking about what we are thankful for and she was so sweet she made me cry. She said she was thankful that she had a Daddy that was so willing to work so hard for her family :( She was able to call Scott and talk with him for a few minutes and that seemed to help her a little, but she still cried herself to sleep :( It just tears me up to see her so sad.
014 Abby


020 family room!

2.13.2012

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Mckenzie had a Valentine's Day party at school today. She was so excited to see me, but her happiness was short lived. There is a little girl that Mckenzie has really taken an interest in and Mckenzie wanted to sit next to her while they ate their snack. Unfornately, there was no room next to her friend and Mckenzie ended up sitting at another table. She was heartbroken. She was crying and I had to take her out of the room to calm her down :( She did cheer up a bit towards the end of the party, but she wasn't her chipper self. Abby was so happy when she got home from school today. She raced into the house and opened up her backpack to show me a prize she had gotten. There are a couple special needs children that join in on certain activities with Abby's class and the teacher had said if anyone sees either of them trying to leave the classroom, that child is to let the teacher know. Well, Abby saw one of the little boys trying to do just that and she let her teacher know. Her teacher rewarded Abby with a ladybug craft project to bring home. Abby and I worked on it together after lunch and it was so fun to listen to her tell me the reason she got the craft project over and over :)I took the girls out to dinner and then grocery shopping. Scott is working really late tonight :( I hope he gets home soon. Mckenzie rockin' the skirt Grandma H. made for her. She just loves it!


017 Mckenzie


015car

I have to say the amount of salt they use around here is beyond crazy. We got maybe an inch of snow the other day and the streets are just filled with salt!

2.12.2012

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Both girls were awake very early this morning. They climbed into bed for a little bit, but it wasn't long before Mckenzie was looking to get dressed. Her outfit of choice? A plaid summer tank top dress (sized 18-24 months mind you!), hot pink leggings with white stars and a purple striped long sleeved shirt to go over the top when I told her she was going to freeze in the tank top. Oh, and her tap shoes. Can't forget those. I adore her sense of style! We finished working on the girls' homemake Valentines cards for school. Mckenzie wanted to write her name on all the cards and so she did. I was a little worried her name wouldn't fit because she writes really big, but she managed to do it on all 16 cards. What great practice for the day and she didn't even know it! Abby had fun putting glitter glue on her cards. I like glitter glue so much better than regular glitter. Vitually no mess to clean up! Abby was over the moon today because we let the girls go outside to play in the little bit of snow that fell overnight. They both had fun throwing snowballs at each other and at Scott and I. Scott had just as much fun as the girls, chasing them and throwing me down in the snow. I was not dressed for the cold and needless to say, I wasn't too fond of snow on my back:) But, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love doing things as a family, even if that means there will be ice cold water dripping down my back. Abby was a super awesome helper at clean up time tonight. She helped me pick up all the toys and then she vacuumed the family room and living room all by herself! Now I need to find a way to get her to want to vacuum every day! 009 Mckenzie and Scott 021 Abby 024 butterfly valentine 027 Owl valentine

2.11.2012

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Mckenzie is still feeling yucky from the cold she picked up so we kept her home from dance class. She didn't seem to notice and I would rather she takes it easy this weekend so she can go to her Valentines party on Monday. I took Abby to get her nails done this morning. She was so excited to get a mani and sat so still the entire time. Abby went to a birthday party for a school friend at a Mixed Martial Arts center. She seemed to enjoy punching and kicking stuff! She was giggling when she told me she "knocked" over the instructor. (The instructor was great with the kids and pretended to fall over from tough punches.) We had to leave the party a little early so she could get ready for a Father/Daughter Sweetheart Dance sponsored by her school. I curled her hair and got her dressed in her new dress that she picked out. It was a special night for the two of them. Abby said it was like she was getting married when she got all dressed and put on her flowers. Scott said they had dinner and played games and danced. They both really enjoyed themselves. I am so thankful he was able to do this with her as he missed Dad's night last year at preschool :( 009 Abby Scott 016 Abby

2.10.2012

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Mckenzie is feeling a little under the weather today. Seems she has picked up a cough and a low grade fever. So, instead of running errands today, we spent the day inside, working on our numbers and letters. Abby seemed to be a little less grouchy today when she came home from school. I had her work on some school work so the day wasn't a total waste. Heck, I even managed to clean the house and do a load of laundry. It is still in the dryer, but if I run it again before I go to bed, then I can fold it tomorrow right?!

I painted the girls' nails this afternoon and curled their hair for fun. Both girls had fun, but only Mckenzie would take a photo for me. 018 mckenzie 013 Mckenzie 007 mckenzie 002 mckenzie

2.09.2012

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006 snow

We had a little snow overnight and it looked so beautiful resting on the trees with the sun shining on it.

I got a run in this morning and a trip to Target before picking Mckenzie up from school. She made banana bread in her Chef class this morning. She said she tried it but she didn't like it. When Abby heard what Mckenzie baked, she wanted to have some for herself. So, I called up Grandma and got her tasty recipe for banana bread. Unfortunately, my looked nor tasted anywhere near what my Mom's used to taste like. I had to substitute a couple of things as I didn't have them in the house and apparently, it wasn't a good idea. This is what the bread looked like! Yuck. Abby tried it and said it tasted OK. At least it made her happy :)
011 banana bread

Abby was a grump when she got home from school today. This is not unusual. Most days she comes home she needs a little time to get it together before she is her normal self but today, it was just awful. She couldn't get along with her sister for anything and Mckenzie wouldn't stop pushing Abby's buttons. I finally made them go to timeout together, holding hands and looking into each other's eyes while they did it. They were not happy about this one bit, but it seemed to do the trick. And, I found out why Abby was so grumpy today. She lost her butterfly mood ring that she just got for her birthday and she is just heartbroken over it. She was sobbing so hard she could hardly tell me what happened :( 010 holding hands

2.08.2012

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I got to be in Mckenzie's preschool class this morning. I really enjoyed being in there and I think Mckenzie enjoyed it a little too much. She was VERY clingy and didn't want to detach herself from me for even a second! I got to see the boxes the kids are making for Valentine's day and they are so cute! Now I just need to get busy and make the girls' valentine's cards for their friends. I made it to the gym today but I was disappointed I didn't run as far today. I just wasn't feeling it for some reason :( Maybe it was because I wasn't filling my brain with mindless info while watching Live with Kelly ;) We got some light snow this evening. The girls were ecstatic! It was funny to watch them trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues. I would have taken a picture, but the winter has been so mild that I wasn't wearing a coat. A little too cold for me to play around with my camera! So, when we got home, I felt it was the perfect opportunity to turn on the fireplace and try to read a couple of pages in my book. 009 book

2.07.2012

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Abby worked on her 100 day project for school today. She chose to glue 100 glass gems to a canvas to represent the first 100 days of school. She didn't seem to like the idea when I first suggested it to her, but after I gave her a few other ideas, she got on board with this one. I guess the other ones were much less interesting! The girls had a friend over to play this afternoon. They had fun making a Valentines gift using paint and their feet :) The laughs I got from them when I painted their feet was priceless! I wouldn't have written what we were making today, but Scott found them already. Guess I should learn to hide them away from the jar of M&M's! Mckenzie actually sang with the choir tonight at church. I was floored that she went in with Abby and never looked back! Who knows if she will do it again, but Abby was more than elated that Mckenzie joined her tonight. 008 100 day project Abby

2.06.2012

37/365

I think Mondays are the day I run the best. I am wondering if they can change the day of the 10 mile run I am planning on doing from a Sunday to a Monday! It is only one day difference after all! I managed to run almost 3.5 miles today and I am starting to enjoy it. I can't wait for the day when I can run 5 miles without even thinking about it!

007 skittles
Orange skittles are Mckenzie's favorite. She sorts through the jar to pick out the oranges leaving all the other colors :)

2.05.2012

36/365

We had our friends over to watch the Superbowl. I just love it all. The food, the friends, the commercials. Well, usually I love the commercials. I just didn't find them all that great this year. I didn't break out my camera today. Scott let me sleep in way later than I have ever slept in as a parent and I spent the rest of the day getting ready for the Superbowl!

2.04.2012

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We all went to dance with Mckenzie this morning so we could run errands after she was finished. We stopped for lunch and then we picked up my new (used) lens! I am so excited to try it out!!! I feel like the luckiest girl out there :) I would have played around with it a little more today, but Scott planned a date night to celebrate my birthday and Valentines. We tried a new (new to us) restaurant and it was really tasty. The steaks were so delicious and the customer service was fabulous! Several of the employees wished me a happy birthday and the manager gave us a gift card! Awesome customer service. We stopped for a couple of drinks before heading home and the guy next to Scott was a little crazy. He was yelling at his phone and then he asked Scott " Do you think they can still find me without the battery? There's still a small battery in here for the GPS!" I was so glad when he finally left! The girls had fun with our babysitter. She is so good with them and always brings activities with to entertain the girls. We are going to miss her when she leaves for college :(

002 ring I love that I can see all the detail in Scott's wedding band :) I realize this isn't a fab photo, but I just wanted to see what the lens could do.

2.03.2012

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004 Mckenzie No photos today so I thought I could borrow one from yesterday. Mckenzie just loved eating her chocolate chip bars that she helped make.

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