Walk this way

We are walking distance to restaurants, parks, pools, shops, the school and more. It's one of the things I love about our new neighborhood. (we even get a discount at the shops and restaurants)
This past week Lane has been taking swimming lessons at the nearest pool. She hates it. It's survival type swimming rather than the more fun type. It's a lot of work for her and she's exhausted after her ten minutes








I take the boys in their swimsuits so they can have fun while we are there. They have been playing with another family who has lessons right before us. Today the boys went into the kiddie pool and had a great time.


Last weekend the kids played at the splash pad after dinner. Gabriel wore his favorite boots. I could hear water slushing in them on the way home.

Gifts from Denver

What is it about something delivered in the mail that makes me giddy? A handwritten note, a card, a gift - it all brings a smile to my face. While I appreciate a text or email, there is something more special about getting a message hand delivered to my home. Maybe it's knowing the extra time it took out of someones day to think about me that makes it even more special.
My children feel the same way. Alex and Lane recently received gifts from their Uncle Nik for their birthdays. The box contained baskets with water/sand toys. Lane literally squealed when she saw it!


I filled their water table up on the back deck since we don't have a back yard. I watered the neighbors plants while the children played with their new toys.


By the time I was done watering the plants, the kids had made a slip n slide out of the concrete deck. They were sliding across the entire length of it and slamming into the rail at the end. I had to put their fun to an end when it seemed unsafe - they were bodyslamming themselves into the concrete. I honestly didn't want to explain any injuries to our new doctor just yet.

Blogpress

After changing Lane's swim suit, I put her clothing in the washing machine. As I came back into the room, I noticed she was peeing on the floor and saying "no swim." I don't know if all of this is connected but she peed on my new $600 lap top. I tried the rice trick but the motherboard is destroyed
I'm very disappointed. I have work to do with it. Oh well. I found this app on my iPhone and decided to try it for blogging.
I tried another app but it saved my drafts but didn't publish them. The drafts are still there but aren't fulfilling the blog piece if it won't publish it. Hopefully this will work


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Overripe Bananas?

A good friend told me about making ice cream with overripe bananas. I thought she has a good idea but didn't think it would work for us. Gabriel isn't a huge fan of bananas and I eat bananas but again, not a huge fan. I eat them because I get leg cramps and
I bought a share of veggies and fruit from an organic buying club. We got a TON of bananas. We all ate a ton of them but still ended up with 6 overripe bananas. I couldn't bear to throw away organic produce.
I looked up the banana ice cream recipe. It requires frozen overripe bananas thrown in a processor. That's it. It's cold and creamy. It definitely tastes like bananas but it fulfilled my ice cream craving. I added some peanut butter and YUMM-O! This might become my new breakfast treat!
Try it!

Pinterest

I was introduced to Pinterest.com by the woman who refurbished a table and then a dresser set for us. She does great work and I look forward to getting to know her better.
What is Pinterest? Here is what the web site says:
Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.
Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.
I was hesitant to try because I thought I found my favorite web sites and I was content with that... well, I am in love with Pinterest. I found gluten free recipes I want to try. I realized I want to do our guest room in yellow and gray. Gray? I never thought about using that color. I look at things I like and want some day. It's a virtual to do and wish list.
Check it out - you might be surprised at what you find.

Crying is Important Too

One of my new favorite web sites is Pinterest. I was introduced to it by a woman who sold me a beautiful table she refurbished. She just finished a dresser and nightstand for Lane as well. I hope to have her complete more furniture for us and I'll have a home with some shabby chic appeal.
In any case, this woman that is amazing. I add links to things I like and from that she figures out how to paint the furniture. The site allows people to share things they like or are interested in. I love this site.
I found this quote on the site. It really hit home with me because I've heard many times how crying is a weakness.
I am very in touch with my emotions. I have a difficult time hiding them when they are strong. I love intensely and I feel pain just as intensely. This quote says it all - crying is important. It's been important since the moment we took our first breath.

First Visitor - Odessa!

When we lived in Sioux City, we attended story time regularly at the South Sioux City library. Our usual time was Mondays at 2:30 and that was changed to 3:30. We attended many special events, the summer reading program, and the Pat-a-Cake pals for younger children. Through that time, I developed a friendship with the children's librarian. We called her Ms. Odessa. She became my Odessa friend.
We didn't do much outside the library but we had many conversations and followed each other lives through technology. Without her job, we probably would have never met. Her son is much older so we wouldn't have run into each other. Thank goodness the star aligned and she came into my world. Not only is she a great friend, but she's a superb children's librarian and wonderful with my children.
Odessa was given the opportunity to fly here to see the rocket launch. I am grateful she made it here and we were able to spend the weekend together.
We arrived at the hotel Saturday morning only to realize we forgot our suitcase. OOPS! We had to run to the store to get outfits and swimsuits for all five of us. After that, we went to Cocoa Beach to enjoy the sun and surf. How fun to watch the kids jump over the waves!
We had a fun filled day on Sunday. We went on an airboat ride in the Everglades. We saw wildlife including gators, cattle (yes, cattle!!), roseate spoonbills, egrets, and more. It was a GREAT adventure - Lane seemed scared and fell asleep immediately. We even touched a gator after the boat ride. (Odessa held it!)

We climbed Ponce de Leon lighthouse in Ponce Inlet.

It was quite the climb in the heat but we all did it!

After our sweat filled venture, we headed to the jetty and watched the surfers. We asked the boys to only get their feet wet in the water but that was quickly ignored as they were splashing and jumping waves. It was far too cute to stop them. Lane had her tush cleaned twice in the ocean since we ran out of wipes. I'm sure she will be thrilled that we shared that on our family blog.