Tuesday

I don't think anything happened at the house yesterday-- however I did get an email from our contractor. 

Paint guy is suppose to be there Wednesday afternoon or Thursday.

They got the right tile in for the sides of the shower- so they will tile that Wednesday.

Apparently they are stating that they wouldn't be able to get the granite that we picked until 10/15-- so we might select something else-- waiting to speak with the contractor now. 
If we go with something else they can get it in and cut/fabricated in 3 days-- meaning he said they could be DONE NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes I just said there is a possibility that they will be done next week!



Doctors appointment today for me- Week 34!

131 Update- Monday

So those beautiful cabinets that were scattered about the house are now in place!!!!!!

fridge/dishwasher and sink will go here



range/microwave, and this is the "desk area"

I will admit they look so different all up.  When they were on the ground- I was like man there are a ton; once on the walls I admit I had a small panic attack wondering if there are enough-- where are we going to put everything.  But everything is going to fit into place perfectly.  
They also put the bathroom vanity in place.  It looks so weird since our other vanity/cabinet was much longer than this one; however we will gain another sink bowl so I'm very excited about that. 

I feel like ti looks very small in this picture-- I think once the rest of the room is done it will all come together and look "normal".  They still have to finish the tile in the shower- I'm not sure if they are still waiting on the end pieces which I guess are different than the rest of the tile.... ???!!

It sure is coming along!!! Have I mentioned how excited I am to get back in the house??

Hope you are having a good day.

131 Update- Friday/Saturday

We were able to go into the house Friday and walk on the floors-- they are amazing.  They also finished all the sanding/mudding on the dry wall.  Biggest part--- CABINETS & VANITY FOR BATHROOM WERE DELIVERED!!!!!! They are so beautiful.  There was one hiccup-- One of the light switches that was put in the kitchen was too high-- so the electrician had to move it down- so they will have to patch up the drywall there. 

We picked out the paint colors, our granite slab and faucets/shower head. 

The electrician was at our house on SATURDAY!!! Yes Saturday; the fixture is up in the laundry room, fixture is up in the kitchen and dinner room, and the light in the bathroom is up.  He still has to put up the fan in the entry and living room.

We picked out our top for the vanity today as well as our sink for the kitchen.

The electrician could not believe we had only been out of the house for 2 weeks.

Our contractor said they will put up the cabinets on Monday and will then paint/trim while the granite is being cut.  I still cant believe how fast this is all going- I am in love with it all and will probably cry when we are able to get back into it! :)

cabinets laying in the kitchen... peek a boo!

tile on the back wall in the shower

bathroom vanity

more cabinets

our under cabinet lights

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Dads and Daughters

So I have seen these before but thought this one was so perfect-- I swear Mike read this before Emilee came!!!! She is one lucky girl to have such a great daddy-- and I think she knows it! :)

50 Rules for Dad's with Daughters

1. Love her mom. Treat her mother with respect, honor, and a big heaping spoonful of public displays of affection. When she grows up, the odds are good she’ll fall in love with and marry someone who treats her much like you treated her mother. Good or bad, that’s just the way it is. I’d prefer good.

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2. Always be there. Quality time doesn’t happen without quantity time. Hang out together for no other reason than just to be in each other’s presence. Be genuinely interested in the things that interest her. She needs her dad to be involved in her life at every stage. Don’t just sit idly by while she adds years to her life… add life to her years.

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3. Save the day. She’ll grow up looking for a hero. It might as well be you. She’ll need you to come through for her over and over again throughout her life. Rise to the occasion. Red cape and blue tights optional.

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4. Savor every moment you have together. Today she’s crawling around the house in diapers, tomorrow you’re handing her the keys to the car, and before you know it, you’re walking her down the aisle. Some day soon, hanging out with her old man won’t be the bees knees anymore. Life happens pretty fast. You better cherish it while you can.

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5. Pray for her. Regularly. Passionately. Continually.

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6. Buy her a glove and teach her to throw a baseball. Make her proud to throw like a girl… a girl with a wicked slider.

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7. She will fight with her mother. Choose sides wisely.

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8. Go ahead. Buy her those pearls.

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9. Of course you look silly playing peek-a-boo. You should play anyway.

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10. Enjoy the wonder of bath time.

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11. There will come a day when she asks for a puppy. Don’t over think it. At least one time in her life, just say, “Yes.”

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12. It’s never too early to start teaching her about money. She will still probably suck you dry as a teenager… and on her wedding day.

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13. Make pancakes in the shape of her age for breakfast on her birthday. In a pinch, donuts with pink sprinkles and a candle will suffice.

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14. Buy her a pair of Chucks as soon as she starts walking. She won’t always want to wear matching shoes with her old man.

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15. Dance with her. Start when she’s a little girl or even when she’s a baby. Don’t wait until her wedding day.

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16. Take her fishing. She will probably squirm more than the worm on your hook. That’s OK.

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17. Learn to say no. She may pitch a fit today, but someday you’ll both be glad you stuck to your guns.

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18. Tell her she’s beautiful. Say it over and over again. Someday an animated movie or “beauty” magazine will try to convince her otherwise.

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19. Teach her to change a flat. A tire without air need not be a major panic inducing event in her life. She’ll still call you crying the first time it happens.

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20. Take her camping. Immerse her in the great outdoors. Watch her eyes fill with wonder the first time she sees the beauty of wide open spaces. Leave the iPod at home.

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21. Let her hold the wheel. She will always remember when daddy let her drive.

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22. She’s as smart as any boy. Make sure she knows that.

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23. When she learns to give kisses, she will want to plant them all over your face. Encourage this practice.

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24. Knowing how to eat sunflower seeds correctly will not help her get into a good college. Teach her anyway.

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25. Letting her ride on your shoulders is pure magic. Do it now while you have a strong back and she’s still tiny.

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26. It is in her nature to make music. It’s up to you to introduce her to the joy of socks on a wooden floor.

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27. If there’s a splash park near your home, take her there often. She will be drawn to the water like a duck to a puddle.

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28. She will eagerly await your return home from work in the evenings. Don’t be late.

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29. If her mom enrolls her in swim lessons, make sure you get in the pool too. Don’t be intimidated if there are no other dads there. It’s their loss.

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30. Never miss her birthday. In ten years she won’t remember the present you gave her. She will remember if you weren’t there.

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31. Teach her to roller skate. Watch her confidence soar.

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32. Let her roll around in the grass. It’s good for her soul. It’s not bad for yours either.

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33. Take her swimsuit shopping. Don’t be afraid to veto some of her choices, but resist the urge to buy her full-body beach pajamas.

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34. Somewhere between the time she turns three and her sixth birthday, the odds are good that she will ask you to marry her. Let her down gently.

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35. She’ll probably want to crawl in bed with you after a nightmare. This is a good thing.

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36. Few things in life are more comforting to a crying little girl than her father’s hand. Never forget this.

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37. Introduce her to the swings at your local park. She’ll squeal for you to push her higher and faster. Her definition of “higher and faster” is probably not the same as yours. Keep that in mind.

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38. When she’s a bit older, your definition of higher and faster will be a lot closer to hers. When that day comes, go ahead… give it all you’ve got.

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39. Holding her upside down by the legs while she giggles and screams uncontrollably is great for your biceps. WARNING: She has no concept of muscle fatigue.

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40. She might ask you to buy her a pony on her birthday. Unless you live on a farm, do not buy her a pony on her birthday. It’s OK to rent one though.

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41. Take it easy on the presents for her birthday and Christmas. Instead, give her the gift of experiences you can share together.

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42. Let her know she can always come home. No matter what.

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43. Remember, just like a butterfly, she too will spread her wings and fly some day. Enjoy her caterpillar years.

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44. Write her a handwritten letter every year on her birthday. Give them to her when she goes off to college, becomes a mother herself, or when you think she needs them most.

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45. Learn to trust her. Gradually give her more freedom as she gets older. She will rise to the expectations you set for her.

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46. When in doubt, trust your heart. She already does.

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47. When your teenage daughter is upset, learning when to engage and when to back off will add years to YOUR life. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

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48. Ice cream covers over a multitude of sins. Know her favorite flavor.

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49. This day is coming soon. There’s nothing you can do to be ready for it. The sooner you accept this fact, the easier it will be.

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50. Today she’s walking down the driveway to get on the school bus. Tomorrow she’s going off to college. Don’t blink.

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Something about this brings tears to my eyes-- I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with all these hormones! :)

Wednesday- 131 Update & Prego Mego Week 33

Another day...

Mike was able to go over to the house today-- they have tiled the bathroom, and put more mud on the drywall.  Electrician fixed our laundry room light.  No pictures today.... the tile in the bathroom is the same as in the kitchen/entry-- it looks awesome.  Thursday they will grout the floor and start on the tile in the shower.  We are still on for cabinets on Friday and the dry wall sanding.   

This week has brought lots of pain/uncomfortableness.  This little guys foot is lodged in my ribs on the right side.  I really only feel it when I'm sitting.  It hurts my side/ribs then into my back.  Most people would say "well Jodi, if it really only hurts when you sit-- don't.  However, when I am standing/walking around too much then I start getting contractions. 
Ice packs help!! Although I'm so excited to meet this little one- I know he needs to grow a bit more, so little man stay in there a few more weeks.

I'm hoping to make it 3 more weeks working full time in the office.  Then work either part time in the office part time at home or work from home until the baby comes.  Then it is off until 1/1/2013.  :)

Happy Hump Day!

Here is your preview of some of the zombie make up

131 Update-- Tuesday

So we were not able to actually get into the house yesterday since they put down the tile in the entry/dinning area/kitchen but I was able to get a picture through the glass....

you can also see the drywall all taped up!



looking into the kitchen



looking down into the entry-- the tile is actually all the same color-- the kitchen pic is more the actual color-- picture quality on my phone and through the glass door with no lights is hard.

Hope you all had a good Tuesday- it was quite the interesting day for us--
Mike got spit on, yelled at and threatened at work.  I secretly cried all day from the pain of sitting in this chair-- but we ended it with some Driveway Demo Derby for the boys, gymnastics for the girls and LOTS of laughs when returning "home" to M & E's for the night. 

Let us see what today brings.  

Have a good one. 

Monday

Yesterday Mike went to check on the house.  He said although he is sure more was done- the only thing he could see (in the evening) was the mud was put on the dry walls.  He had a picture but I don't have it on my phone. 

Things are still moving along!

We are now on week 2 being out of the house.  I miss our bed! I am sleeping okay- but it is hard.  Mike is actually sleeping in the basement with the dogs and I am upstairs with the kids-- In all reality there just isn't enough room for me, my rediculous amount of pillows, my huge belly and Mike on a queen size bed.  So a few more weeks and we will be back in our King! :)

Nothing too exciting from today.

Hope you had a good Monday-- o how hard it is to go back to work!

Weekend....

We gave my MIL and FIL their house back for a few days and headed down to my SIL's for the weekend!! :)

I got to see their finished new house for the first time & let me tell you-- it is amazing!!! Everything look so nice. 
Her master shower is about the size of our laundry room-- Seriously.  I think I showered for like 25 min.  I couldn't get myself out of there.

On Saturday I took the kids to visit my mom and hang out for a bit.  They had a chance to destroy her house, then back to the farm we went.  Mike and the rest of the gang was working to take metal off of the old house to recycle. 
Saturday night we went to Bloomington to eat at Avantis!!!!!!! It was so good!!!!!!

This was our sunset....

Mike is over the top in the love with the show "The Walking Dead" so on Sunday we did our own walking dead photos!!! It was fun- I think the kids enjoyed putting on the face paint; although Emmy got scared at first and then they just didn't want to take pictures.  I can't wait to post some pictures from it!!!!


Hope you all had a good weekend.

131 -- Days 4 & 5

Sorry I am just posting now.... they accomplished a lot Thurs & Friday of last week.  

They got most of the dry wall back up.  The entry way/dinner room looks so weird without the painted over panels. 

The kitchen was also walled and the lights are in and working. 

entry way-- ceiling and walls dry walled

dinning room area with new dry wall up



kitchen ceiling with the can lights

 On Friday the appliances were delivered (although they are not in the house yet).  Mike and I went and picked out all the other light fixtures, fans etc.  So they are ready to go as well.  We also got word that the cabinets will be done and ready to go for the kitchen and bathroom on Friday!!! Yes on the 21st!!!!

On Friday they also started to lay some of the tile in the kitchen.

The entire process is going really great right now.

Have a good day.

131 Update- Wedesnday & Prego Mego Weeks 31&32

So this post will include both house & baby updates. 

131 Update:

Mike has been able to meet the contractor and talk with him each day since he is taking the dogs back to the house so they can run in our yard.  It has been so nice since he can make sure things are going as we want and answer any questions they have. 

So to the normal eye (or Mike's eye) here are the things that I believe got done:
*Underlayment is down in the entry way and kitchen
*Canned lights are hard wired in for the kitchen
*The light in the living room (added item) is wired in.  This is so exciting for us since we didn't have an overhead light in there!! :)
*All the plumbing seems to be complete
*Drywall was delivered
*Heard the cabinets got cut so they are working on putting those together!

I know that they also worked on/finished all the new vents.  Mike didn't go into the bathroom since there were alot of people already working in there.

Kitchen appliances get delivered tomorrow.

Honestly so far I can not say enough about the guys that are working on our house. 


Prego Mego Week 31 &32

Week 31 was no fun.  I was contracting/tightening alot if I would walk. My legs were very achy.  And since I'm not ready to tell the world about the rest of my "joys" of week 31-- lets just say it was NOT fun.  I did have to work from home one day because I was so uncomfortable and going to work was not an option.

Week 32 has been much better.  I am growing quickly.  I can tell that my feet are starting to swell during the day- but seem to go down at night.  My lower back hurts more sitting in my chair at work, but overall much better than last week.

The doctor said everything looked great.  I go back in 2 weeks.

Emmy sat with me last night with her hand on my tummy and all she wanted to do was talk about "her baby" coming.  How she was going to hold him all the time and when she didn't want to hold him anymore that she would just give him to Charlie. :) 

Oh I did make a canvas for the baby's room.  Our bedding that we have came with a valance, we didn't use it for charlie or emmy so it has just sat in a bag.  So I decided to cut out the animals out of it; put it on the canvas and use my friend Puff Paint to put in the words.  Thoughts?? It was so simple and I think will look cute in the room.

Sorry no pictures of the house or me this week. 
I will get some tonight or tomorrow

131 Update- Tuesday

So the day started off a bit overwhelming-- but ended great.

Lucky for us; Mike had to stop at home for something and was able to meet our contractor, the plumber and the electrician.  They were able to figure out some details and work through some issues that would have been more challenging to do over the phone. 

So today more of the demo happened.  The plumber routed the pipes to the other side of the kitchen for the sink & dishwasher.  (Side note: he asked if our sink in the kitchen ever drained properly... of course I knew Mike wanted to shout NO and then tell how he knew it was my fault for 1. food going down the drain and 2.  hair from the shower backing up.  He then told us how the pipe was completely clogged and drain-o wasn't going to change that.  In conclusion-- not Jodi's fault!!!)
Anyways, he also re did the pipe to the main bathroom so that when we run the washing machine it doesn't back up into our sink (yes you read that correct-- gross right?)  He also rerouted the dryer exhaust vent to go outside and not into our crawl space which in turn pushed back into our house.  He said he can't believe that our carbon monoxide detector didn't go off all the time from the exhaust coming back into the house-- kind of scary.  They also put pipes in the bathroom for the double sinks.  And the base for the new tub/shower is in place. 

The electrician marked up the house for his plans as well.  They said that the new plans should help with all the blown fuses that we incurred if we had on the microwave and toaster oven. 

One of the coolest parts to see is the hole that we put in that will be over the kitchen sink; looking into the living room!  It is going to open things up so much.

I'm sure I'm missing some things that they did-- it is all so amazing!

Far wall will have counter/cabinets and right side will be range/microwave

pass through to the living room- pipes are in for the sink/dishwasher and fridge

bathroom-- new pipes

pass through looking into the kitchen from the living room! it is going to be so awesome

I'll do my Prego Mego update tomorrow since I have a doctors appointment.

131 Update-- Monday

Day 1 of Project 131 Remodel is COMPLETE!!!!
We spent the weekend making sure everything was cleaned out of where it needed to be and packing our bags for Grandma and Grandpas!!! (Thanks for taking us in Mark and Ellen). 
This morning we packed up the final items got them in the van and away we went.

I got a call around 730am that the workers where there and getting started.

Around 1130 Mike and I stopped at the house to drop off the house key and they had already made so much progress!!! Kitchen was empty and entry way floor was gone.  I couldn't believe how fast it all came down. 

entry way/dinner area

dinning room

kitchen where the sink was-- no more blue cabinets



kitchen- had cabinets/range/fridge



Mike was there later in the day to check on the dogs and get a few items he forgot and they had moved on to the bathroom.  He said they must have been doing the tub b/c it felt like the entire house was shaking. 

The floor tile has already arrived!!!!

Tub, plumber and electrician are suppose to be there Tuesday. 

Cabinet place states 2 weeks and they should be read to be installed. 

Appliances are in and waiting to be delivered!!

Seems like it is all going so fast right now-- I know that the end/details is what will take the longest.  However right now we are feeling good and positive.

Can't wait to check in on the progress Tuesday night!! Although I'm not sure it will be as much.

Jodi

Doing Work

I'm not exactly sure why or how it started but all of a sudden Charlie is very into doing his "work".  He has his work papers/folders/crayons.  No one can touch them, and he knows if something is missing.  He likes to sit on the couch and have things like Daddy does when he is working at home.  But the main work station is the play table. 

So since he likes to "work" I decided to start making him some workbooks to practice letters, numbers, etc.  I thought the binder would allow us to travel with the papers and also we can switch out the "workbooks" when he gets old of one.

Workstation

"A" in the alphabet workbook

The Tundra/Last day at the pool

Over the long weekend we took a trip to Green bay, WI to The Tundra Resort.  The 4 hour drive wasn't as bad as I thought, and my bladder cooperated and we only had to stop once.  We took the trip with Kyle, Lana and Daniel-- the kids had a blast.

The indoor water park is perfect for ages they are at.  It had a kiddie pool area that had the gradual depth- only going to about 1 foot deep that included a small little slide.  It also had a fort area that you could climb and wait for the huge bucket of water to dump all over you.  There is a small regular pool with 2 basketball hoops- but it is not large and you can't really do any swimming there.  It also has a lazy river and then 2 large water slides that you go down on inter tubes.  The kids LOVED it!!!!! They could wear their floaties when they went down- so they felt more comfortable.  However by the end they were making themselves fly off the tube at the end to go under water.  :)  The only concern we had was how slippery the flooring is.  As you can see from the below picture it is tile- which no matter if you are walking slowly- it is still slippery.  But we survived & would definitely go back.  {side note: the hotel did have a restaurant, arcade, and small store that had some ice cream-- it is also in a great location with lots of restaurants and shopping around}

It was hard to get pictures when we were there.  I didn't want to take my big camera down to the pool- didn't want it to get wet and also you just leave your bag at a table or chair if you can find one- which isn't always in your view.  And it was hard to keep an eye on the kids while trying to not drop your phone in the water.  We did bring our small waterproof camera that we got some good videos on-- but not sure if I can upload to here-- I will have to check. 

We ended up driving home late Sunday night so we could sleep in our own beds and also have the full day at home on Sunday.  We headed to the country club for the last pool day!
Emmy decided that it was the day she was going to go off the diving board-- and did she ever.  She walked her little bottom up to the board- walked to the edge of the board and she jumped.  No hesitation!!! It was so cute and she loved it!!!! I think she jumped off about 20 times.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

House Update

Last Saturday we purchased our appliances!

Kids at Lowes-- They thought driving the car was awesome.

We also started clearing out the cabinets in our current kitchen.  Man that creates a mess-- I am super good at pulling everything out of the cabinets and just leaving it all over the floor! (not sure I will take a picture of that since it is such a mess).

We got an email from the contractor-- looks like they will start next week!

Hello Grandma and Grandpa-- you ready for us?? :)