Endless Summer Fun

Is it officially summer yet? No? It's not really summer here either but in FL it's sometimes hard to tell. We have actually had incredibly beautiful days lately- either it's cooler and drier than normal or I've finally (after almost 8 years) gotten used to the weather.

The grass in the yard has made such a difference in my desire to be outside. I had no idea that I missed grass so much... and St. Augustine nonetheless! My first true introduction to this crazy FL grass was when we bought our first house here and I decided to do some yard work. Well, any good Virginia girl knows that grass is soft and thin and anything that looks like a thick grassy vine has got to be crabgrass. So I started pulling this crazy "weed" in our side yard... I pulled and pulled until I had a nice brown patch. Around that time Kevin came home and informed me that my "weed" was grass but I had already succeeded in stripping a huge portion of the side yard. Needless to say I learned my lesson. St. Augustine never looked so good!

Since the great outdoors has been so appealing since the installation of our lawn, the boys and I spent some time in the back yard doing what we've been doing a lot of lately... entertaining the dog. Nathan decided it was a great time to blow bubbles.

I love bubbles- they keep little ones occupied for hours! Apparently they also keep puppies occupied for a good long time too.

Hey! Bring on some more bubbles!!

Sumo Lizards

Wordless Wednesday

Week 3 Weigh In

Weigh in this week is a little disappointing. I was expecting to have been down 3 pounds because that's where I've been every morning since Friday but this morning I'm only down a pound. I know a pound's a pound but it's not 3. I also know why the scale reading is not as pleasing this morning... I skipped lunch yesterday, ate late and topped it off with apple pie and ice cream- glad every day's not Memorial Day.

My goals from last week-

• Pilate's twice- only went once as the studio was closed yesterday.
• Count points- I didn't really do this one at all. I did, however, watch what was going in (other than the apple pie mentioned previously) so with better planning this week, I expect better results.
• Walk 3 times- this one I aced! -at least once a day (with the dog)
• Cut soda- I haven't even had a sip since Friday!!!
  

Goals this week-

• Drink more water- have a glass upon rising and one right before lunch.
• Plan meals and count points- "automate" breakfast and lunch.
• Walk 5 times at least around the block and take 2 longer walks- start to time walks.
• Pilate's twice.
• Pay attention to sweets and snacks... next week's goal to replace half with healthier options.
  

Barbara Manatee and the Lizard Dog

One of the neat things about living in Florida is being able to enjoy some of what this East Coast Girl considers exotic wildlife... Manatee and very prevalent lizards. Sully noticed two manatee in the canal today but as soon as I made it back with the camera they were too far away to catch. I did, however, get this shot, which in my opinion is much cuter than an up-close of a manatee. If you look to the left of the first pier you'll see a disturbance in the water... that's the manatee.

As for the other wildlife... we've been overly occupied with all things puppy this week.
"Duke sit. Duke down. Duke no bite. Duke off. Duke leave it. Duke Ahhhhhhh!"
He's actually doing pretty well considering he's only been here for a week. He's out of his cone and headed to puppy school next week. I'll be glad to find out what to do with some of his less desirable habits... although he only climbed on the table once and at least it was the table outside.

He's also discovered lizards and really, really wants to catch one.

Look for a future post of the lizard fight I was able to catch on camera this afternoon.

I Scream for Ice Cream

Almost missed Wordless Wednesday again!

Cone Head

Duke went in to be neutered yesterday and this is how we picked him up...

It doesn't seem to be affecting him too much though.

Week 2 Weigh In

This is actually week 1 for me but I'm down a pound. This week's goal is to walk 3 times, do Pilate's twice and begin to cut sodas. I'm also going to start counting WW points again- I was counting then vacation happened... excuses, excuses! Jumping back in with both feet.

If we only had a lawn...

Another check mark on our home improvement list.

Before

This "before" shot was after they'd killed any green stuff in the yard. I didn't say "grass" because I'm not sure how much of the green was actually grass.

After

and a side yard shot.

I am much more excited than I thought I would be. For those of you who have actually experienced our yard, you'll remember the areas that were... well... sand- and we don't even live on the beach! All that dirt didn't stay where is was supposed to (in the great outdoors) and had a way of migrating into the kitchen, and family room, and dining room and ... you get the picture. I can already tell a difference. The boys like the lawn a little too. They were outside earlier playing "roll over" which is a made up game of rolling over and over on the grass- not something they could have done before.

While in DC

Second installment blog about our trip- and I took pictures!

We arrived in DC on Sunday evening in time to go out to a neighborhood restaurant. Great atmosphere, great food. Kevin's mom had to work the following day but while she was working we went down to the mall and perused the art at the National Gallery. I was surprised at how much the boys seemed to pay attention to all the paintings. They lasted a whole lot longer than I had expected them to. I could have stayed all day.

Here are the art critics with a daVinci

and a Fra Angelico- 2 of the artists we've studied in our Renaissance unit.

After the museum and lunch, we picked Kevin's mom up from work where we enjoyed meeting several of the people at her office. Then we headed over to the National Shrine. The last time I was there I must have been about Sully's age and I didn't remember all the details but what stuck out was the immensity. It still seems immense!

The following day we left for Solomon's Island, MD where Kate had a conference. We spent the early part of the afternoon at the house of a family friend where the boys were able to boat and swim.

Murphy, the dog, wanted to be with the boys and followed the boat until he could be coaxed in... Kevin was a little leery because he was expecting to be swimming involuntarily before the boat got back to shore. Fortunately, Murphy did well and didn't tip the boat.

Nathan's new shoes got wet in the boat and knowing how particular he can be about things I casually mentioned that the shoes he was wearing were originally made for boating... his quick comeback? "Well then, it's a good thing I wore them on a boat."

After boating the boys took a dip.




We ended the day with dinner and ice cream on the Island.

The boys were sad to leave. They LOVE visiting with their Grandmas!!! A little spoiling is a good thing!

Duke

We wasted no time! It was far too quiet in the house without Jesse.

While in VA

As I mentioned in a previous post, we had a nice trip other than the stress of Jesse being sick. The boys and I drove up with my mother then did some running around while she was working- had lunch with a childhood friend, visited the VA Living Museum, spent a day with my best friend and her kids and went to Busch Gardens with my dad. We ended up opting out of Jamestown to avoid the crowds. It is a GREAT place to visit and we'll go again when the hoopla of the 400th anniversary dies down. We did, however, really enjoy the trip to the VA Living Museum whose rotating exhibit "Surviving Jamestown" was worth 2 trips! The boys and I went early in the week then again with my mom on Saturday- an added bonus was the museum's native plant sale Saturday morning. I realized after returning home that I only took 2 pictures early in the week... not like me at all! We were all very preoccupied with happenings with the dog so that's what I'll blame.

Here are the boys half way through the Surviving Jamestown exhibit.

We spent half of Mother's Day with my mom and then headed to D.C. to my in-laws' where Kevin met us.

Coming soon... Part 2... "While in DC"

May Day Weight Loss Challenge

I'm a week plus late but we've been out of town. Last week was not a healthy-eating week and I'm starting 2 lbs higher than I was before we left town but here goes...

My goal is to lose 30 lbs. I'm still hanging on to baby weight but my "baby" is 6! I did lose with Weight Watchers several years ago but have gone back to not exercising and terrible eating habits- before that I was always a "skinny girl".
My plan is to count points again, exercise (walk and pilates) and cut sodas and sweets (ok, maybe an occasional sweet but NOT daily!)
My weaknesses have just been listed... sodas and sweets.

What a Week!!

If you saw yesterday's post you've heard about Jesse, our hyper but beloved English Pointer. She was sick several weeks ago but recovered from what we thought to be a nasty bout of colitis. Just before we were to head north she required another trip to the vet- it looked like the same ailment so we started treatment and left her in the care of Dad who was staying behind. After a few days of seeming recovery, she got worse and Kevin had to take her to the vet's again where we found that she had something serious and complicated going on. At that point she had become very disoriented, still in discomfort and to our shock, had been struck blind! We opted not to put her through a barrage of tests (she had already had MANY in weeks previous) and knew we weren't prepared to go as far as chemo for the dog. Jesse was a great dog and will be greatly missed.

After the emotional roller coaster, Dad was home alone in our very quiet house so we decided it would be a good time for him to fly up, meet us in D.C. and then drive home with us. Timing worked because he doesn't start his new job until Monday... He got the one he was hoping for!!!! Thanks for all the prayers!

While I was gone, Christina over at A Walk in My Garden tagged me for a Meme, which I'll post shortly. I'm also planning to join in on the May Day Weight Loss Challenge over at Tales from the Scales, which I hope will give me just the accountability I need to drop those pesky pounds. Additionally, I'll be posting some photos and a summary of our trip, which, other than the big whammy, was really nice.

7 Things Meme

Christina over at A Walk in My Garden tagged me for this Meme (my first!)
The rules... Each participant lists 7 random facts/habits about themselves then chooses 7 people to tag and lists their names. Those who are tagged write 7 things about themselves on their own blog, as well as the rules, then tag 7 others. Don't forget to leave a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog.
So, here goes...

1. Fact- I am an only child.
2. Fact- Fall is my favorite season and it's one of the things I've really missed since living in Florida.
   
3. Fact- I met my best friend at the ripe old age of 3 ... funny thing is we both have vivid memories of the meeting but we don't agree on the when, where OR how! I still say I'm right!
4. Fact- I edit, publish, re-edit, re-publish my blog posts to get them "just right"
5. Habit- I check e-mail too often when I'm home.
6. Habit- I flip my hair when I'm tired and bite the inside of my lip when I'm nervous.
7. Fact- I enjoy reading several blogs but I'm mostly a lurker so since tagging people would be the hardest part of this meme and several of the blogs I read have already been tagged I'm skipping that part. If you read this and would like to participate..."Tag...You're it".
   

In Memory of Jesse

Wordless Wednesday
is almost over and not quite wordless. We lost our dear dog while we were away so homecoming has been bittersweet.

Three more pictures

Here's a sweet picture of my mom and Sully before he had to go on stage.

Don't smudge! Even boys wear lipstick onstage...

but after I got a shot of Nathan with the gorgeous lips he insisted I take the following picture.

The Show Must Go On

And go on it did!
Just a quick post as we're trying to get everything together for an early departure tomorrow.
The boys had a great time and did a great job in their plays. I won't waste time on words tonight but you can see for yourself.


The Lightening Bug Pep Squad... All very cute. Nathan had such a good time he said he was sad it was over. He remembered his songs, lines and hand motions and was, of course, the cutest bug!

Sully has really come out of his shell onstage and LOVED being in the limelight. His part would be best described as comic relief and he pulled it off beautifully.

This and That

The jasmine is in bloom and I wish you could smell it... BEAUTIFUL! We have tons of tomatoes and did I mention our cucumbers? They are tiny but growing! Can you tell I spent some time in the yard today? It's lovely out... but HOT! We're still short on rain and there have been wildfires again but there is a slightly humid feel tonight and we're hoping for rain by the weekend.

In other news...
We're heading to the airport tomorrow to pick up my mom who'll be visiting for the weekend and will then share the drive to VA on Monday. We'll be up "north" for a little over a week so blogging will probably cease until we return. We're planning to visit some friends, maybe hit Jamestown, play at Busch Gardens, go to the Virginia Living Museum and also visit Grandma Kate and Wally in D.C... a lot of go and do.
The curriculum we use calls for field trips to a planetarium and an art museum to complete our study of the Renaissance. So, to add a little school to our trip, we'll cover the planetarium at the science museum and the National Gallery of Art while in D.C. Even though Busch Gardens is "The Old Country", I don't think we can count it toward our country studies... oh well, 2 out of 3's not bad.

Lastly, Kevin had a job interview today and he feels it went well. This is for a permanent position with a well known insurance agency. It would be a step forward and would put us back to life as we were getting used to before our adventurous but failed attempt at relocation last year. I'll post more when we know more but for now please pray that he gets it.

We look forward to seeing family and friends up north -I'll try to post a few pictures of the kids' play before we leave.

Nathan... the lamb

Wordless Wednesday

Break a Leg

Curtain call is almost here...
Opening night is this Saturday and both boys are very excited. Nathan, however, is somewhat nervous, this being his first official play. There was of course his first unofficial play Christmas before last where he played a lamb. He was supposed to sit with Sully, a shepherd, and look cute in his fuzzy lamb costume. But at our house we don't do anything halfway and he was very serious about his part. Opening night, he did sit and look cute in his fuzzy lamb costume but he also decided that lambs "baa" so he commenced with a litany of "baas" during his entire debut. We were all in stitches. Now, as a seasoned actor, he knows to stick to the script. I'll see if I can't find a picture of Nathan the lamb to post.

Better than American Idol

Here's an opportunity to listen to some good music and vote. Devonzine is a devotional magazine for teens and while I don't pretend to know much about the magazine they are holding a contest. They are asking for votes to determine the winner of their SoulTunes contest. The winner will be invited to play at a Youth Conference in Greensboro, NC in July.

...So, here's the plug.

The Breaking Point Band is made up of several teens from the corner church where Sully and Nathan attend Kids Klub. They are fabulous and have been chosen as one of the top 3 finalists. Go and listen. Listen to all three songs- they are all good- but vote for "In Your Footsteps". Then tell your friends to vote. Thanks guys!!!!