pleonast.com: crazy

This week we are busy getting ready for Thanksgiving. The girls and I are going to my parent's house for 10 days and so I've got this week to get the house in order, pack us up and finish the Thanksgiving craft projects we're working on to decorate the dining room and I'm making my parents a photo video show of the grandkids which is taking up most of my time these days. I have spent several hours going through all the pictures from the last year of my 2 girls and my 3 nephews. The year goes by so fast!

As I was going through the thousands of pictures we have from the last year (seriously THOUSANDS!!), I ran across these and realized I never shared them on pleo. They are Maleia's 1st Birthday pictures taken by her from when Frederic did his meeting in TN a week before she turned 1. We had a busy weekend with Frederic preaching 8 times in 48 hours so we were SO tired when she was taking these. Despite that, she was able to do a good job!

So here are the pictures of the girls from April.


	(12 older comments)
littlebit	So sweet!
the_earlys	i just want to squeeze her chubby legs! love it!
fourkings	Way too cute!!! awwwww
matermagistra	I love the chubs on that last pic!!
littledieman	He's gone for 2+ weeks and I'd have to sit in the hotel (in Bahrain - ick) the whole time while he worked 12 hour days. No fun. He was only in Paris for a few hours. Ok, your daughters are so cute! I love the pictures
terryfrancis	Those were great pics until I had to see Fredric's ugly feet...ha ha ha
hlp696	good pictures! i was wondering how you have been and how the adjustment to Seminole is going. I hope things are well.
verny_mack	It's amazing to see how much she's grown just in the past few months. And how many more CURLS she has gotten in her hair. :-)
LizWilcox	so how do they look when they are rested? :) Seriously, absolutely adorable. I love their dresses.
southern_yankee_mom	Great pictures! I love the one of her sitting in the chair reading!
julied93	So sweet!!!!
zani128	Those pics are really great, Heather! Your girls are so adorable!
christina	Me too! I wonder what else was said!!
beckdobbins	such sweet pics!
mtnestr	Adorable pictures - all of them!
dressednyella	They turned out so cute! I love the girls' matching dresses. And, I love the black and white of the three of from the knees down.
ccmom	Those are some adorable pictures! I love the poem and the polka dots!
ccmom	It's at the Florida State fairgrounds. We went with our homeschool group, but I believe they are open on the first Saturday of each month for anyone. You can also go during the fair.
stylinmama	How cute are those pictures!!?!? Doesn't hurt that your girls are gorgeous. :)
misssonja	I feel that way, too, sometimes -- but the thing is: Your brothers and sisters in Christ need you to know what's going on this world...your unbelieving neighbors need you to understand it...because if you can articulate to them how to prepare and how to respond, you will be a great encouragement.
ccmom	I thought I would mention that Cracker Country is having a special thing called "Discover the Past during Christmas in the Country". It's Saturday December 6th. 10am-4pm. I'm assuming that meaning you can show up whenever you want. The cost is adults-$6, seniors & kids(ages 6-12)-$5, kids 5 and under are free. It says you will enjoy carolling, making christmas decorations, popping pop corn, plus lots more hands-on things to do. Andrew is already asking to go back to Cracker Country because they have a train depot and a post office that we didn't get to see on our field trip. I think we are going to go to this event.
misssonja	You share the best pictures of the cutest kids :)
staci	It's one deal a day usually. When they have a Woot-off (you don't know in advance), when they sell out a product, they post another one but you never know what the product will be or how fast it'll go so you just have to watch the site all day. It's usually great deals from a variety of sellers. They'd had Dysons on there, TV's, computers all the way down to ear warmers, remote control toys, printer paper, etc. The mystery of what will be sold each day is what keeps it so interesting (and it's good deals!).
sallyanne	Thank you! Any time you come our way, you are welcome to stay with us! We love company :)
bzyabsma	Great pictures. I love the one where Maleia is giving Noelani a look that says, "I dare ya!"
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"Let Them Praises Give Jehovah...."

11-10-08 03:41pm EST

This weekend we had the ladies Bible class in the morning and in the evening we had a potluck with a singing. Noelani was so excited about this and Friday night before bed she asked us to make sure that she woke up in time for the "Pockluck" cause she didn't want to miss it. I told her it was at night and she got excited and said "It's my first night time "Pockluck"! Pockluck sounds like some kind of weird disease!!

At the pockluck, we sang the song Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah which is one of her favorite songs. As Noelani says, "Daddy taught me how to sing the girl's part and he sings the boy's part"! She just loves that song. Well, Saturday she was singing the girl part so loudly and I noticed that instead of saying Jehovah she kept saying JehoBA. It sounded so cute and I said to her "Noelani the word is actually Jehovah" and she said "I know it's JehoBA!" Jehoba sounds like a furry creature from Star Wars!


	(1 older comment)
crazy_mama	^^ Noelani used to call the Lord's Supper the Glass Slipper. It would always crack us up. Then one day she said it the right way and I was happy about it but I knwe I'd never hear her call it the glass slipper ever again. Maleia is just starting to talk and I can't wait to hear all her little words for different things!
juliev	My oldest loves to sing, but I can't even begin to list here all the things he says wrong! His favorite song, though, is This World Is Not My Home". Whenever Aaron is preparing to lead singing Nick will ask if we can sing "the angels back at me song" (as in "the angels beckon me" part of the chorus).
stylinmama	My sister used to sing "Let's have a little chocolate Jesus" instead of "Let's have a little talk with Jesus". :) Caleb says "Jehoba" too, must be the age. :) I just love to hear him sing in church, he loves to sing.
desi	Damon sings "Are you washed in the blood?" as "are you washed in the bud?". :)
green_gourmet	Cute:)
lydiasmother	Well there are words that Lydia says that I do not correct her since I know she can say the correct word and I want her to say the wrong way since i love it so. Here are 2 of the best ones she says so far-- tootsie roll is sippy troll, and we don't use the word poop in our house it is big potty so she uses the word poop instead of the word pop so it is funny when she said the balloon is going to poop in my hand--LOL oh and then there is bean burrito it is bean brean brean bro--LOL I love it have taped it and written it down.
erica03	It's great how she gets so excited! Mine get excited over getting food or a new toy.
curlie	I love the mispronunciations. J was singing "Marching to Zion" this morning and got "sweet accord" right, but that was about it. They're so cute. :)
shanshan	I know! Good luck and I hope you find them at a store near you soon!
jerzgirl	I love those words they come up with! None of mine mispronounce anything anymore. SniffSniff**
jerzgirl	:)
metzgermom	My youngest son use to call them 'putt lucks'. Julianne did a LOT of singing when she was Noelani's age. One of my favorites was 'Mansion Over the Hilltop'. She obviously didn't know all the words, because she would always end the chorus with '...and there will be-e Curious George!'
mtnestr	Cute! Another adorable children's faux pas was when a friend's daughter called obedience to the gospel - "bathtized."
nillabarr	I am so glad to hear that she still loves her kitchen. Hubby was a little hesitant to get her something like that while she is so young. But I knew there were so many features she would enjoy now and new ones to discover later. My sister and I had one of those Little Tikes ones when we were little and we played with it for YEARS. Conner loves it too! And the best part is that she now stays out of my cabinet with the pots and pans! :)
ccmom	Very cute! I LOVE hearing little kids singing!
dressednyella	A friend of mine suggested beginning with chocolate icing when you're making the black icing. It was a great tip! It tasted great and it didn't need as much coloring. I used Wilton's paste which worked great. The color intensifies the longer it sits. I made it the day before and it wasn't quite that black but the colors really popped by party time.
mpettes	I really hate the name "potluck". In the north, we call them pitch-ins - which makes way more sense to me. But when I moved to TN, everybody laughed at me, so I adjusted. Now I'm back up north and am always saying potluck. Go figure =). Noelani is so sweet. Wish our girls could play together!
scrappyhappymama	^^^ Such cuties! Elijah and Samuel sing "all around the merry go bush" instead of Mulberry bush and I don't want to correct them, especially since it is one of Elijah's last preschool misspeak that he still does. Somewhere I have a list of their cute sayings. They are so sweet!
ryanandnancy	We always try to correct Kaylee when she says a word incorrectly and she almost always tells us that, no she is saying it the right way. Its so good to know that a 3 year old knows so much more than me. :)
bootymusicmama	Yes! Half way there. We saw baby yesterday and looks healthy. The 20 week US didn't confirm a boy! We're holding off on the name and painting the nusery for now. I want to be sure first. :)
strawberry_patch	Hi! I didn't know you were on here! People are hard to find :D
strawberry_patch	I've got to get ya'll some wedding pictures, they got some really good one's of Noelani! We still don't have a real photo albm yet, we just have the proof book. But anyway I think in a few months I'll be getting a CD with all the pics and I will get ya'll some copies when I do. :D
bromita	No I didn't hate your wedding but no offense, nothing to do with you, I probably didn't enjoy it that much.
bromita	Yep, we wanna know and it won't be a secret! We should find out in another month I guess...I'm not very good at keeping up with what goes on at my dr. appts, I didn't know I would get to hear the heatbeat last time so I told Jason not to come and he wasn't too happy that he missed it! but I have an appt this week and he's coming.
pooky	How are things going at the new congregation? I know transitions can be difficult at times. I hope everything is going well for you!
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I'm so happy it's all over now!

11-06-08 12:58pm EST

There is something that Maleia does that just cracks Frederic and I up . Every time she does it we just think she’s a crazy girl! When we are upstairs and we are ready to go down the stairs, she will be standing at the top of the stairs with us. We will walk down a couple stairs so that we are at her eye level and then we will call her to come. She will come and without hesitation she will RUN right off the edge. Lucky for her, we have always been there to catch her. She has complete faith in us and shows ZERO fear, hesitation or worry. We will catch her and that is that.

On the 4th, my spirit was crushed by the election. Frederic and I sat on our bed in shock as we listened to President-elect Obama address our country. How did this happen? Why him? In my opinion, he is a pretty scary guy. I don’t like his views on just about everything. After all, he was shown to be the most liberal politician in America. Even over Hilary. Like most Christians, I am deeply saddened to know that this man will not only try to not stop the heartless murder of thousands of babies but he will support it and fight for it. He even opposes getting stem cells from breast milk, and only wants to get stem cells from fetuses that are created, and then killed after the harvesting of the stem cells. Is killing babies that important that you won’t even take stem cells from breast milk? You have to take them from unborn children who will afterwards be “disposed of”?? For me, his passion for abortion is the biggest thing that I don’t like about him.

For more selfish reasons, I’m unsure of what he has in store for our country. Just how far is he willing to go with his socialist ideals and who will support him as he takes us there?

But the thing that I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around is what God is trying to tell us by appointing him our new leader. I feel like so many people voted for him without understanding who he is, what he stands for and what his plans are for our country. It seems like a lot of people just wanted change and that word compelled them to cast their vote for him. What kind of change? Who cares…just something different from what it is today.

But my point of saying all of this is that it’s done and over. Barack Obama is going to be our new President. It doesn’t really matter what he is going to do or who he is or if he legally should have even been considered for this position. It doesn’t matter why people voted for him or what his views are on anything. God put him in this position and we must accept that and give him the honor that is due to him.

So yesterday I was getting the girls’ clothes ready for church and when I was finished, I started to go downstairs. I called for Maleia and she came and jumped right off the edge to me. As always, I caught her and headed down the stairs. I started to think about her faith in me and the big smile on her face. Just to know that she was coming with me was good enough for her. In fact, if I didn’t take her with me, she would be standing at the top crying for me to come back and get her. She doesn’t ask where we are going and if we are ever going back up; she’s happy just to be with me.

That little “game” we play got me to start thinking about this election and the new leader we have and the new direction this country is headed for. So I feel like we need to adapt Maleia’s philosophy to this situation. Pretend we are Maleia and that God is me and Frederic (I really don’t mean that to be disrespectful to God at all!) We are standing at the top of the stairs and God has just said “You will have a new leader and I’ve put him in this position. This will be taking you in a new direction. Don’t question it. Don’t be concerned about it. Don’t trust in a man but trust in Me and follow Me”. And as we stand at the top of the stairs we give Him our total trust and faith and we jump into His arms and let Him take us where He takes us and be content to be in the safety of our Father’s arms. What is there to fear when God is in control? What more peace of mind can we have than that? NOTHING! He offers to take us with Him. In fact, He wants us to come to Him. Can you imagine if He didn’t take care of us? If He left us? What hope would there ever be? Absolutely NONE! So that pretty much seals the deal for me. God is in control. Take comfort in that and know that He loves you more than you can ever even imagine. He has not left us.

God never promised that life would be easy or that we would have riches and comfort, or free health care. So many people in this world think that they deserve these things and that someone owes this to them. It’s just not true. So life as we know it might get more challenging. We might start seeing things we don’t want to see and being forced to get out of our comfort zone. So be it. God is still in control and He won’t change every 4 (or 8!) years.

On a very exciting note, both California and Florida passed an amendment stating that marriage is between one man and one woman. This gives me great peace of mind to know that so many see marriage as sacred and that they were willing to stand up for it to stay that way. I will rejoice in this. In addition, Arkansas passed a law that limits foster parents and adoptive parents to married people. What a blessing to know that at least for now there are so many people that still see God’s plan for marriage and are willing to voice their opinions about it.

So that’s my political post!


	(3 older comments)
scbrewer	God allowed Obama to be in office, He did not put him there. My husband keeps making that distinction :) God also allowed Hitler, Hussein, Stalin, Cesar, Nero, and other leaders to be in office. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. Thank goodness this world is NOT our home and our citizenship is in heaven.
gkbaker	Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I agree!
beckylboyer	I love the analogy. Its so true that we just have to trust God even when we don't understand things happening around us. Think how Noah must have felt when everyone all the time was thinking and doing evil. I don't think we are there yet. I am with you though that I am scared of where our country is headed with a president that has a senate behind him. But if God wants to run our country into the ground finacially speaking he could do that no matter who is in power. Its comforting to me to remember that this is all temporary. I will be praying for our new president and congress.
melissal	Good thoughts. We have a lot of work to do!
the_earlys	i'm hoping it is only 4 years!
the_earlys	good thoughts!
dehutmom	Amen! :) While we long for "our far, off country" we do our best to stand for Godly right while we're "camping". :)
mtnestr	Great post, Heather!
sallyanne	I like your analogy. Josh does the jump into my arms thing from high places, too. Amazing trust!
stylinmama	That's a great way to find out what you're having and I'm sure she really enjoyed breaking the news. :) Thanks for sharing that!
grandmadiane	This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.Daniel 4:17 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”- 1 Timothy 2:1-2 I agree with you. No matter who Obama is or is not God is in charge and we owe respect to the office of president and we should offer prayers on his behalf. I heard one person today express the election by saying it was not so much a statement of the condition of the country but of the condition of the christians and church. I think that statement is worth considering.
didow	Very good! We are to become like little children -- completely trusting our Father.
sararhoton	I love this post! We don't know each other, but I do know Frederic, and I have to say you two are an amazing couple! Thanks for the reminder that we need to trust God and have that blind faith that is sometimes so hard to find.
lilbec	i did my 10-page english research paper on stem cell research and i do not for the life of me understand y ppl just cant get cord stem cells after the baby is born. its possible
cdillman23	I just saw that about California and they aren't happy about it but God is in control!! Like another friend posted, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing thru."
sweetpeas	I need to be a bit more like Maleia. Such a good post!
ericsgal	nice comparison
trishie	Great analogy! I also liked the reference made to the Israelites wanting a King and God giving them thier desire. By the way, I went to FC with your husband.
bzyabsma	I gave up on trying to figure out why Obama was even nominated to the position before the election...knowing that God is the ultimate ruler of all helps me feel secure about the future. That's where my true citizenship lies - in heaven. So I know that no matter what man is in the White House at any given time, he is one of the
bzyabsma	authorities I have to give honor to, even if I don't agree with him or respect views he may hold. That isn't to say I would just blindly go along with everything, either...Christians have to take a stand on things that are wrong. But I also know that there have been some really bad individuals who have been in power throughout history, and I believe God's hand is in everything, no matter what. Good post!
jerzgirl	Probably a darker berry color -- I'm wearing all navy blue tomorrow, so that should go well together.
jodimn	These are great thoughts. I feel the same way.
serena	I really appreciate those thoughts. I need the same lesson.
verny_mack	Ha! Yeah..I thought that wording might be a bit better than "...he's totally hott!!!" ;)
shanshan	Hi! I live in Ky. and found the dolls at the stores here. I figured that they would all have the dolls. Did you ask if they ever get them in?
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I did my job and voted but someone else needed to do their job and pluck some more chicken feathers

11-04-08 05:57pm EST

So me and my gal pals went and voted today. How long did we wait in line? We didn't wait at all. There was no line. Not a single person in front of us. We were in and out in about 10 minutes. It was that easy.

So after voting we went to Chick Fil A for our free chicken sandwich for voting. How long did we wait for our sandwich? 35 minutes! There was the longest line ever! I wasn't that set on getting my sandwich but after about 2 minutes there were cars behind me and I couldn't really go anywhere but up to the window. There were about 30 cars in front of me. So I got up to the ordering area and said I voted and they said they weren't giving away free sandwiches anymore cause they ran out of chicken. That seems like that would be a big problem for Chick Fil A!! They still had other chicken but just not their chicken sandwich chicken. So no luck for me.

Anyway...off to make dinner and then to our bi-weekly congregational prayer meeting. Kinda fitting that it just so happen to fall on this evening.

Oh and Starbucks is offering free coffee today and Krispy Kreme is offering a free patriotic doughnut with red, white and blue sprinkles!! Ben and Jerry's is offering free ice cream. YUM YUM!!! Just what all us Americans need...coffee, doughnuts, ice cream and chicken!


aggiemeg	wow..I might have wanted a free substitute after that wait!
scbrewer	That stinks! We got out free Starbucks coffee today. It was entirely too strong and sludgy. My husband drank it, but I didn't like it at all.
sallyanne	We waited two hours and forty five minutes...we took all six kids and Josh kept me busy, busy, busy! That is the longest line I've ever waited in in my 'voting life'...
verny_mack	My mom and I went to Chik-fil-A on Bearss & BBD today after my guitar lesson. We didn't know they were giving away free sandwiches to those who voted, so we were wondering WHY it was so busy! Then the manager (a friend of my moms) told us what they were doing! Luckily we were getting strips and not the sandwiches. :)
melissal	I didn't get any of the free food, I went to the dentist instead!
stylinmama	drool Chick-Fil-A...I really wish we had those...Anyway, you would think that the manager for that store would say "Hm, we'll probably get a huge crowd on voting day, let's order TONS of chicken." That's frustrating. I think a Starbucks might be in order for me today. :)
julied93	and Captain D's - 1.99 fish & fries with your "I voted" sticker.
2thehilt	No line when we went either.
erica03	Well, maybe not the chicken part (seeings how they were out and all).
desi	I brought a book to read in line, but there wasn't anyone in front of me either. Then again, we are in a rural area.
cdillman23	I called our Chick-fil-A and they said that it was not legal for them to give out the chicken sandwich. It was some law thing cause we were going there tonight if they were doing it.
betheboo	No line here either!! I love chicken
the_girl_next_door	Yeah - I guess when you aren't feeling well, you still have little ones to take care of. I waited for 2 hours this morning to vote.
mtnestr	We live in a rural area and both Jeff and I were in and out in less than 10 minutes! This was a pleasant surprise, since I had to wait to vote until after leaving work and figured the lines might be up by the time I got there. Now comes the real wait and more prayer!
verny_mack	Oh, did you get a coupon after they told you they weren't giving out chicken sandwiches anymore? That's what they were going to do at the one we were at...
ktembry	I voted by absentee ballot. No line.
navydoc	When I get Krispy kreme, I think about Frederic and I eating them by the box.
leahsparks	Just caught up on your blogs - I'm so behind! I went to Starbucks for my free coffee & they weren't doing it!!! They said maybe the bigger one was...but it was a good 10 minutes down the road...and the girls had already picked out some milk and juice...so oh well. ha! they really got us, didn't they?!?!?! Tricky tricky marketing!!!
the_earlys	went to CFA too! yum!
the_earlys	and the line to get INTO drive thru was wrapped around the building at the CFA on fowler... so we parked at Taco Bell and walked up to get our free sandwiches!
fourkings	WOW! lots of free stuff.. how did we miss all that????
jodimn	We didn't have to wait either. What a huge bummer about the chicken.
gkbaker	I had about a 30 minute wait. I got there about 6:45 am, thinking there wouldn't be as much of a line before work as after. I was glad to have it over with.
hlp696	i didn't know about any of that free stuff! i didn't have to wait in line though and with four kids in tow, that was great!!!
the_earlys	i'm hoping it is only 4!
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Hey Good Looking...What You Got Cooking?!?!

11-01-08 09:55pm EST

So he will be home any second and I can't wait to see him!

Noelani is fine. It was a one time puke thing and I'm so glad for that. Who knows why it happened. But it happened only once which is all I care about! Thanks for all your well wishes for her (and for me!!!)

Tonight for dinner, I decided to make a mexican meal. Refried beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, etc. The girls LOVE it and helped me get it all ready. Maleia sat in her Bumbo (which by the way is the BEST purchase we made since she was born. I know she's 19 months and probably isn't supposed to go in a Bumbo anymore but she does and she loves it and I love it too!!) and as Noelani and I were cooking she started eating! So before I knew it she was a mess. I put her at the dining room table with her food and water while we all ate together and since she was a mess from eating in the kitchen, I figured I would let her feed herself. She LOVES to feed herself but you can see from the pictures why she doesn't get to do it very often. I'm so glad I thought to take off her outfit because it was a new outfit and I think I would have ended up throwing it away after this meal!

I made a gallery of these pictures SO feast your eyes on the messy Gray girls!

Now they are all cleaned up!

Trying to wait up for daddy! Nope, they didn't make it!

My 2 Little Thumb Suckers

My Goofy Girls!

Trying to get all of us in a picture. Oops…where’s Maleia?! And I know it looks like we all don’t have clothes on but we do and they are modest! Sometimes the mind can play tricks on us!

Much better! Well I guess Maleia doesn’t have clothes on but she did just get out of the bath and putting on those pjs means only one thing…bedtime and we weren’t ready for that just yet! But from the look of her face I knew bedtime was near. They both crashed about 5 minutes after we were done with this picture!


jerzgirl	You tried Mexican food again after the puke thing?? You are BRAVE!
crazy_mama	^^ We do love our Mexican food!!!!!
lolo	I was thinking the same thing as jerzgirl. I see you have utensils from IKEA! When Emma helps set the table, she specifically asks to use the IKEA fork and spoon. : ) And Emma is 2 1/2 & still sits in the Bumbo sometimes if she needs an extra lift, so don't feel too bad.
verny_mack	Really cute pictures! :) The girls are getting so big!
mtnestr	Adorable pictures! Glad all is well with all of you.
erica03	I can't even get my kids to eat tacos! I'm jealous of your good eaters.
desi	love the pics :)
kaceyatthebat	I love seeing those girls!
bromita	We're due late may, very happy.
lydiasmother	Loco casa you have there! Glad he is home and safe.
bzyabsma	You and your bare arms! ha ha!
teathyme	Your girls are adorable! Thanks for sharing. I'm so glad the sickness is over with!
jkmram	such pretty girls... :o)
ryanandnancy	Colton gets messy enough when I feed him! Miss y'all! Cute pics!
stylinmama	Cute, cute girls! Thanks for reassuring that my Bumbo purchase was a wise choice, especially for $15. :)
scrappyhappymama	Yep, there's no denying the sleepy eyes! Beautiful girls!!! All three of you. :)
nillabarr	VERY cute pictures!!
cdillman23	very cute! Did they get to see daddy?
dressednyella	Your reference to mexican food just reminded me of your nacho craving when you were pregnant. Remember the blog you wrote about that? I remember you saying that one time to dropped the nachos on the floor and you ate them anyway. You're so cute. :)
dressednyella	Ditto on the prayers!
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