Lainey now has her first, real dishes thanks to my July Fireflies Secret Pal! It’s a Wedgewood set in the Peter Rabbit pattern. So cute, I just love it! Thank you, Secret Pal!
In case you’re visiting our site, and wondering why the cradle is slowly disappearing from the counter above, don’t worry. Okay, I’m sure you’re not worried…but, I’m told that it’s normal for the little icon to disappear and then magically reappear once the month-line changes to include the next 6 months. Weird!!
Living in North Florida has several advantages. One is the usually mild weather that we get all year long…though, I must admit, I little winter weather might be nice on occasion. Another is living in a state that a lot of people enjoy visiting. We’ve been able to see several friends and family members, simply because they’re in Florida for other reasons (business, visiting family, etc.) and we can meet up with them!
This happened just this past Sunday! My cousin, Peg, and her family have been in Orlando for the past 2 weeks. We drove down yesterday AM and spent the day with them at SeaWorld! Florida is quite a change for them, being from NJ where the high today is supposed to be 30F! They’re on their way home as I type. We really enjoyed hanging out with them, and my kids (especially my girls!) loved being with their 2nd cousins! Here are a few pics from the day…
The kids!
Ashley teaches Marley a hand rhyme
The girls with the Clydesdale horses
Petting Manna Rays
Payton gives the Shamu Show 2 thumbs up!
Mom and Abbey
Randy, Donna, Peg, and Tracy…4 tired, but happy parents!
This is our hibiscus bush STILL blooming in January! I hear some people are actually getting SNOW in January? Wow, what an unusual concept that is.
It’s been a good 6 months since I added any new pictures to the picture page! So, I added a few! Check it out, you just might see yourself ;)
These are my awesome December Secret Pal gifts from my July Fireflies Secret Pal. I’ve really been wanting the Chinese Lullaby CD and have already been enjoying it! I think Lainey will love the bear blanket and we plan on taking it to China with us. Hey, Secret Pal…if you’re reading this…forgive me for posting this SO late?? Thanks again!
Well, not technically. But, we did have an AWESOME field trip with our homeschool group today! We went to the Cummer Gallery of Art and Gardens, where there is a traveling exhibit called “Temples and Tombsâ€. Approximately 85 artifacts from Egyptian history are on display here, on lend from the British Museum for about 3 months. It was so amazing to be in the same room as these treasures, made thousands of years ago. I just stared at a pair of bangle bracelets, imagining the Egyptian woman who wore them.
They didn’t allow pictures in the exhibit (the security was tighter than the airport), but I took a few outside and in the Children’s interactive area.
Ethan got the cobra from the gift shop.
Marley, busy creating.
Payton inside the “noodle house†the kids made.
Abbey “inside†a painting (and Payton’s head peeking out from the back!)
Ethan is writing his description of the item he found in the archeological dig activity.
Abbey bought a archeologist kit, where she’ll uncover an Egyptian treasure. After about 30min., she found the bottom of the item and then took a break! It’s hard work!
The above picture is of an unassuming basketball bin, used to…hold basketballs. There are several of these (though, larger in size) at the gym where my boys and oldest daughter play Upward League basketball. I was picking up my sons (and dropping off my daughter) for practice last night and found my son, Payton, with 2 good-sized gashes in his head…one on his forehead, in the hairline and one on the side of his head, in his hair. Seems he ran into the basketball bin on his way to the bathroom. Judging by the dried blood on his shirt, it wasn’t a pretty site. I can’t very well blame the coach for not taking care of my son…his Dad is the coach.
So, I left Abbey with Randy and went searching for an open urgent care. The first one was closed (8 minutes prior to us arriving) and the next one said they don’t accept head lacerations. Huh? So, we drive to the ER and he’s checked in at about 8:45. The triage nurse sees him and tells us to wait for a room to open up. Oh, and the check-in nurse has already told us that it’s *really* busy tonight. Randy shows up with Abbey about an hour later and I take the kids home while he stays with Payton.
They finally get home a little before 1am! His front gash is glued shut (ewww..) and his side gash is closed with 2 staples. Ordinary, metal looking staples! I mean, are these things sterile??
So, we’re calling Payton our “Little Craft Project†with his glue and staples! Oh, and he’s the only one of my kids ever to need stitches (he had three of those years ago…again, on his head!) He can’t wait to show us friends at his basketball game on Saturday and at church on Sunday. Boys are weird. But, I love mine!
