After my Ten on Tuesday, it was suggested that I post the new recipe trials from last week. I thought it might be fun to do this and document what we eat these days... I am not all that great at including all the references and details that I should, so if you have any questions, let me know.
Monday
I was craving buffalo chicken wings so we brought in food (still craving it, although I have had in at least 3 other times since then. I need to get a hold of some good ones.)
Tuesday
Pepper Crusted Grilled Flank Steak (http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipe/beef/pepper-crusted-grilled-flank-steak/)
This one will be a keeper!
Followed recipe exactly, was a little under done, would have gone 2 more minutes on each side.
And in the spinach mayo, I decreased the mayo and added some horseradish sauce and it was a good addition.
Wednesday
Cuban Midnight Sandwich (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cuban-Midnight-Sandwich/Detail.aspx)
Again, I think this one is a keeper!
Inspired by our trip to Florida.
Provolone instead of swiss
This is not actually a Cuban sandwich as it has no pork and the dressing is different, but the idea is there. J
Thursday
Seared pork chops with orange chipotle glaze (http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipe/pork/seared-pork-chops-with-orange-chipotle-glaze/)
Okay, so I am 2 for 3 this week, not bad considering my track record (just ask Carl)! This was just okay. I served it with aspargus instead of the mashed potatos. I cooked the pork WAY longer than it said too. still did not seem overdone. I jsut don't think pork is my thing.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
School / MDO
John's first day of school/MDO was back on 9/1/10. It was an emotional day for us all!
To set the stage... his supply 'theme' this year was camoflauge. He has a camo nap mat, lunch box and book bag. All of his lables are printed on camo stickers as well. And of course I dressed him in camo shorts for his first day.
We have been talking with him and reading about school for a couple of months now to help prepare; this preparation tactic really seems to work with John.
So... the morning of....I woke up late (ugh) and spent over half an hour making his lunch. Not real sure why, just wanted it to be perfect. :) Woke John up later than I had anticipated, so we were running a little behind. He takes quite a bit of time to wake up, eat and feel ready for the day. I should have planned better, becuase the rushed feeling of the morning was not a good one. I had to hurry and take pictures, otherwise, there would have been 1000!
Mama, Daddy and John loaded in the car, and off we went. When we got there, he put his bookbag on his back and walked in without a fuss. He unloaded all of his stuff into the right bins, hugged and kissed me goodbye, hugged and kissed Daddy goodbye... and then... came back to me...ugh... this is when the teacher saw the beginning of the melt down so she swooped John out of my arms as I start to cry and took him into the room. With my sunglasses on, I quickly walked out of there balling my eyes out. Thank God Carl was there with me or I might not have gone through with it.
When I went to pick him that day, he was in an awesome mood. They SAID he napped, but I am not so sure about that.
Day 2: I woke up earlier and had plenty of time for John to get adjusted. As we are leaving it is POURING down rain. When we get to the school, I am trying to juggle the nap mat, lunch box, bookbag and umbrella all while trying to get him out of the car without getting soaked. It was not a pretty site! Once inside, he was okay, but then after offloading all of his stuff and time to go into the classroom, he practically ripped my shirt off and was screaming! I was suprisingly fine. The teacher again swooped him from me and took him inside. I stood outstide the classroom and not 3 seconds went by before I hear him playing with the toy garage thing. He TOTALLY put on a show for me.
Day 3: He hugs and kisses me while keeping one eye on the classroom and then BOLTS inside to do the table activity. It has been that way ever since! YEAH! He loves school!
To set the stage... his supply 'theme' this year was camoflauge. He has a camo nap mat, lunch box and book bag. All of his lables are printed on camo stickers as well. And of course I dressed him in camo shorts for his first day.
We have been talking with him and reading about school for a couple of months now to help prepare; this preparation tactic really seems to work with John.
So... the morning of....I woke up late (ugh) and spent over half an hour making his lunch. Not real sure why, just wanted it to be perfect. :) Woke John up later than I had anticipated, so we were running a little behind. He takes quite a bit of time to wake up, eat and feel ready for the day. I should have planned better, becuase the rushed feeling of the morning was not a good one. I had to hurry and take pictures, otherwise, there would have been 1000!
Mama, Daddy and John loaded in the car, and off we went. When we got there, he put his bookbag on his back and walked in without a fuss. He unloaded all of his stuff into the right bins, hugged and kissed me goodbye, hugged and kissed Daddy goodbye... and then... came back to me...ugh... this is when the teacher saw the beginning of the melt down so she swooped John out of my arms as I start to cry and took him into the room. With my sunglasses on, I quickly walked out of there balling my eyes out. Thank God Carl was there with me or I might not have gone through with it.
When I went to pick him that day, he was in an awesome mood. They SAID he napped, but I am not so sure about that.
Day 2: I woke up earlier and had plenty of time for John to get adjusted. As we are leaving it is POURING down rain. When we get to the school, I am trying to juggle the nap mat, lunch box, bookbag and umbrella all while trying to get him out of the car without getting soaked. It was not a pretty site! Once inside, he was okay, but then after offloading all of his stuff and time to go into the classroom, he practically ripped my shirt off and was screaming! I was suprisingly fine. The teacher again swooped him from me and took him inside. I stood outstide the classroom and not 3 seconds went by before I hear him playing with the toy garage thing. He TOTALLY put on a show for me.
Day 3: He hugs and kisses me while keeping one eye on the classroom and then BOLTS inside to do the table activity. It has been that way ever since! YEAH! He loves school!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A breakthrough!
As mentioned in the earlier "Ten on Tuesday" post, I believe we are knee deep in the terrible twos. I do think it is combination of several things that are contributing to this phase, but calling it the terrible two's just seems easiest.
Between school starting, sleeping issues, traveling, change in overall schedule and possibly talk of the new baby I think John is going through a tranistion phase right now. This includes testing boundaries, gaining independce and bravery and pushing buttons!
The majority of the time he is still my little angel and all he really wants his your attention. But then there are those moments of pure defiance that seem to overshadow the day and wear on my last nerve. I am making a strong conserted effort to maintain patience and a cool town of voice, but I have to admit that it is hard sometimes.
Time outs were working, but now he will go into the corner and talk and laugh and count. Does not seem to effect him anymore. Carl came up with something the other night in response to one of his bed time hitting fits that has really seem to make a breakthrough and is getting through to John. Taking toys away, and having to earn them back. He really responds to this and then when he earns it back he is so proud of himself.
Still a work in progress, but a step in the right direction.
Between school starting, sleeping issues, traveling, change in overall schedule and possibly talk of the new baby I think John is going through a tranistion phase right now. This includes testing boundaries, gaining independce and bravery and pushing buttons!
The majority of the time he is still my little angel and all he really wants his your attention. But then there are those moments of pure defiance that seem to overshadow the day and wear on my last nerve. I am making a strong conserted effort to maintain patience and a cool town of voice, but I have to admit that it is hard sometimes.
Time outs were working, but now he will go into the corner and talk and laugh and count. Does not seem to effect him anymore. Carl came up with something the other night in response to one of his bed time hitting fits that has really seem to make a breakthrough and is getting through to John. Taking toys away, and having to earn them back. He really responds to this and then when he earns it back he is so proud of himself.
Still a work in progress, but a step in the right direction.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Ten on Tuesday (9.21.10)
1) John is having some sleeping issues. Even though I know he is SO tired, he is having trouble falling asleep and then wakes up several times a night screaming. I am hoping it is jsut an adjustment from being out of town this weekend. (he is currenly fighting nap and screaming "MOMMY" at the top of his lungs; really trying to ignore it, but I am afraid our neighbors will think we torture this child....update - I went to check on him and he was sitting on the edget of his bed SCREAMING, but no tears. I rocked him for 30 seconds and he was out like a light. ugh)). I think all of his sleep issues boil down to not letting him truly "cry it out" until he was 18 months old.
2) I am obsessed with buying John shoes right now. Sort of like I was with the underwear way back when. He has like 5 pair already for Fall/Winter and haven't even bought him regular tennis shoes yet. Can't beat old navy's sale for $10 a pair.
3) John is loving school, but we have to pry information out of him. He always says "nofing" (nothing) anytime we ask a question. We have to ask very detailed questions to get any other answer. I thought he was too young for this and this would not start until he was older and did not care about school. :)
4) I love that new TV started last night. We recorded pretty much everything and are going to just try them all out and eliminate as we go. :)
5) We are starting to work out again today! Well, Carl is, and I am going to do what I can. We will see.
6) I have SO many blogs I want to post... hopefully I can knowck out a few right now and set them to post this week. Recipes, new disciple techinique, school, football game, etc.
7) Thinking about John's new room and the baby's room. Carl thinks he is getting out of painting the nursery again...but we are not getting new furniture, so the least we can do is paint it! Any ideas on color combinations or themes, send my way. (For Johns room too)
8) Halloween is right around the corner. I think John is old enough to choose what he wants to be, but I am afraid becuase what if it is something I can not produce?!?!
9) Baby boy #2 is as big as an apple these days... so...why is my belly as big as a melon?
10) Is it possible for my child to be bi-polar? Or are we experiencing the terrible twos?!?!?
2) I am obsessed with buying John shoes right now. Sort of like I was with the underwear way back when. He has like 5 pair already for Fall/Winter and haven't even bought him regular tennis shoes yet. Can't beat old navy's sale for $10 a pair.
3) John is loving school, but we have to pry information out of him. He always says "nofing" (nothing) anytime we ask a question. We have to ask very detailed questions to get any other answer. I thought he was too young for this and this would not start until he was older and did not care about school. :)
4) I love that new TV started last night. We recorded pretty much everything and are going to just try them all out and eliminate as we go. :)
5) We are starting to work out again today! Well, Carl is, and I am going to do what I can. We will see.
6) I have SO many blogs I want to post... hopefully I can knowck out a few right now and set them to post this week. Recipes, new disciple techinique, school, football game, etc.
7) Thinking about John's new room and the baby's room. Carl thinks he is getting out of painting the nursery again...but we are not getting new furniture, so the least we can do is paint it! Any ideas on color combinations or themes, send my way. (For Johns room too)
8) Halloween is right around the corner. I think John is old enough to choose what he wants to be, but I am afraid becuase what if it is something I can not produce?!?!
9) Baby boy #2 is as big as an apple these days... so...why is my belly as big as a melon?
10) Is it possible for my child to be bi-polar? Or are we experiencing the terrible twos?!?!?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Ten on Tuesday (9.14.2010)
So, I missed a week last week, but still trucking...
1) John had a rough night last night with this nagging cough. I ended up "sleeping" in one of the spare bedrooms with him... we are both exhausted.
2) There are 2 new baby boys in my neighborhood this week! My next door neighbor and my friend that lives a few houses down both welcomed a new life in the last couple of weeks. Glad baby boy Jones will have some friends his age in the hood.
3) Work is busy again and ever changing. A termination and a promotion has left me and one other peer of mine in the accouting department. Everyone else there (at my level and below) started after I did. Am I getting old? I suppose when I go back after baby boy Jones I will be working for people that used to work for me... wonder how I am going to deal with that...
4) John loves the "Wonder Pets" show and books and animals. It is his new thing.
5) I am feeling 99% better 90% of the time these days. I am about 14 weeks, so I am hopeful in the next week it goes away all together.
6) Speaking of, I hope that I can find the motivation to work out a bit during this pregnancy while I am feeling better. It will sure make it easier not to out on 50 (F.I.F.T.Y.) pounds that I did with John.
7) John's 2nd day of school was a bit harder on him, but as I ducked around the corner to see how long he would cry, it was over before I could blink. It was all a show for me. Then on his 3rd day (yesterday) he literally was kissing out of the corner of his mouth, he could not wait to get inside. He RAN to Ms. Tawnya! YEA!
8) I got to me Zane this weekend! YEAH!!!! He was an absolute doll! Such a smiley and happy boy.
9) Trying some new recipes this week. Must branch out. Must eat healthier.
10) Headed to monthly check up this afternoon - must go wake John...
1) John had a rough night last night with this nagging cough. I ended up "sleeping" in one of the spare bedrooms with him... we are both exhausted.
2) There are 2 new baby boys in my neighborhood this week! My next door neighbor and my friend that lives a few houses down both welcomed a new life in the last couple of weeks. Glad baby boy Jones will have some friends his age in the hood.
3) Work is busy again and ever changing. A termination and a promotion has left me and one other peer of mine in the accouting department. Everyone else there (at my level and below) started after I did. Am I getting old? I suppose when I go back after baby boy Jones I will be working for people that used to work for me... wonder how I am going to deal with that...
4) John loves the "Wonder Pets" show and books and animals. It is his new thing.
5) I am feeling 99% better 90% of the time these days. I am about 14 weeks, so I am hopeful in the next week it goes away all together.
6) Speaking of, I hope that I can find the motivation to work out a bit during this pregnancy while I am feeling better. It will sure make it easier not to out on 50 (F.I.F.T.Y.) pounds that I did with John.
7) John's 2nd day of school was a bit harder on him, but as I ducked around the corner to see how long he would cry, it was over before I could blink. It was all a show for me. Then on his 3rd day (yesterday) he literally was kissing out of the corner of his mouth, he could not wait to get inside. He RAN to Ms. Tawnya! YEA!
8) I got to me Zane this weekend! YEAH!!!! He was an absolute doll! Such a smiley and happy boy.
9) Trying some new recipes this week. Must branch out. Must eat healthier.
10) Headed to monthly check up this afternoon - must go wake John...
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
BIG DAY!
Today was John's first day at "mothers day out". It went very well. I will do a bigger post shortly that will include more details, but I wanted to get these pictures out.
I also wanted to document this day, 9/1/10 as a big day for another reason....
We found out today that we are having another boy!!!! John will have a brother and we are SO pumped about that!
Here are a couple pictures from John's big day:
I also wanted to document this day, 9/1/10 as a big day for another reason....
We found out today that we are having another boy!!!! John will have a brother and we are SO pumped about that!
Here are a couple pictures from John's big day:
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Ten on Tuesday (august 31)
Woohoo! Two weeks in a row!
1 - John has started a new habit of seeping under his blanket, completely, head and all. We go up there before we go to bed and uncover him. His is drenched in sweat. Wish he would stop this.
2 - speaking of sweat, I would like to goon record to say that my son did not develop his sweat glands on his head until he was two and a half. He seems to sweat Luke normal now. Which as many of you know is a huge relief to me, as it really bothered me.
3 - I can no longer avoid it, I have to pull out the maternity clothes. Ugh.
4 - John starts MDO for the first time tomorrow. 'Meet the teacher' was on Monday and I was an emotional wreck. Not sure how tomorrow will go. Thank goodness Daddy will be there too!
5 - we had our first playdate with no Moms at our house today. John's little neighborhood friend, Andy, came over to play. It was great! I can not believe we have not done this before. They played so well together and Andy is a real good little boy, so it was a good influence on John. They just played by themselves like I was not in the room. Hearing their conversations was SO funny. Andy has 2 older sisters, so at one point he asked John if he had any babies? After a pause to think, John responded " I have Kee Koo". Precious!
6 - Kara's last day is Thursday and although I am excited for the new chapter of school, I am going to miss her! John loves her and she has been AWESOME with him. I could not have gotten any luckier. And, on a personal note, she did all of his laundry and picked up and vacuumed the house. So, ya, I am going to miss her too! She will always be our babysitter or fill in when she is available, but it won't be the same. :(
7 - We are REALLY looking forward to football season!
8 - John is still the BEST cuddler in the world. We have cuddle time several times a day. I assumed it would be gone by now, but to my delight, it still goes strong. And yes, he still has to touch your face while cuddling. I think it is his sign of affection :)
9 - John can peddle is little tricycle like a champ. As soon as his feet can reach the peddles of a bike (with training wheels of course), I want to get him one with the cute little helmets, I think he will love it.
10 - I am feeling 90% better, so I am hoping in the next week it is gone completely!
1 - John has started a new habit of seeping under his blanket, completely, head and all. We go up there before we go to bed and uncover him. His is drenched in sweat. Wish he would stop this.
2 - speaking of sweat, I would like to goon record to say that my son did not develop his sweat glands on his head until he was two and a half. He seems to sweat Luke normal now. Which as many of you know is a huge relief to me, as it really bothered me.
3 - I can no longer avoid it, I have to pull out the maternity clothes. Ugh.
4 - John starts MDO for the first time tomorrow. 'Meet the teacher' was on Monday and I was an emotional wreck. Not sure how tomorrow will go. Thank goodness Daddy will be there too!
5 - we had our first playdate with no Moms at our house today. John's little neighborhood friend, Andy, came over to play. It was great! I can not believe we have not done this before. They played so well together and Andy is a real good little boy, so it was a good influence on John. They just played by themselves like I was not in the room. Hearing their conversations was SO funny. Andy has 2 older sisters, so at one point he asked John if he had any babies? After a pause to think, John responded " I have Kee Koo". Precious!
6 - Kara's last day is Thursday and although I am excited for the new chapter of school, I am going to miss her! John loves her and she has been AWESOME with him. I could not have gotten any luckier. And, on a personal note, she did all of his laundry and picked up and vacuumed the house. So, ya, I am going to miss her too! She will always be our babysitter or fill in when she is available, but it won't be the same. :(
7 - We are REALLY looking forward to football season!
8 - John is still the BEST cuddler in the world. We have cuddle time several times a day. I assumed it would be gone by now, but to my delight, it still goes strong. And yes, he still has to touch your face while cuddling. I think it is his sign of affection :)
9 - John can peddle is little tricycle like a champ. As soon as his feet can reach the peddles of a bike (with training wheels of course), I want to get him one with the cute little helmets, I think he will love it.
10 - I am feeling 90% better, so I am hoping in the next week it is gone completely!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Introducing....Kee Koo
John is going to be a big brother and he has lovingly named his sibling Kee Koo (pronounced key coo). We are not sure why, but he is sticking with it! We called John “monkey” while he was in my belly and it has stuck with him even today. We were wondering what we were going to call this one, but I think John has taken care of it for us. The baby will be known as Kee Koo until we give him/her a first name. I know it sounds silly, but once you say it enough and you here John say it enough, it just becomes natural. J
We are 11.5 weeks along and are due in early March. I have been unbelievably sick. I will take this time to sincerely apologize; I know I have been a cruddy wife, friend, daughter, sister, employee, etc. as of late. Any energy or patience I have left goes to John. I have had to cancel plans and I have missed being apart of a few big events over the past few weeks, please accept my apology and know how guilty I feel about it! The sickness had a peak around 8-9 weeks, and has SLOWLY gotten better, but I think I still have a couple of weeks left.
Because of the sickness and the way I just feel different with this pregnancy, I really think it is a girl. We shall find out soon….
We are 11.5 weeks along and are due in early March. I have been unbelievably sick. I will take this time to sincerely apologize; I know I have been a cruddy wife, friend, daughter, sister, employee, etc. as of late. Any energy or patience I have left goes to John. I have had to cancel plans and I have missed being apart of a few big events over the past few weeks, please accept my apology and know how guilty I feel about it! The sickness had a peak around 8-9 weeks, and has SLOWLY gotten better, but I think I still have a couple of weeks left.
Because of the sickness and the way I just feel different with this pregnancy, I really think it is a girl. We shall find out soon….
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Ten on Tuesday
I am inspired by the 'Ten on Tuesday' idea that Abbey and Audra have on their blogs. I do not think that the monthly updates are really fitting at John's age anymore, so I hope to take over this instead.
1) John is getting a little mole on his face, just like his Daddy!
2) John is eating like a horse lately. ANYTHING I put in front of him and ALL of it (including all veggies). SO PROUD!
3) Summer television is AWFUL! COMPLETELY AWFUL! We just watched season 4 of Dexter in 3 nights!
4) Starting to think about lunches to pack in John’s lunchbox. He starts a MDO/preschool next week. Any popular suggestions are welcome (we have no allergy restrictions)
5) I just drove by the parents taking their kids to the school for the first day on Monday and I was crying… not sure how next week is going to go.
6) John LOVES the ipad. I let him play on it the other day thinking it would keep his attention for a few minutes…before I knew it, he had been on it nearly an hour! He screams and cries “I want my ipad” or “I want to play with the ipad” over and over at night when it is time for bed. A little ridiculous that a 2 year old is addicted to the ipad. He is playing games, doing puzzles, drawing and reading books on it, so I suppose it is better than TV, but still…..
7) I need new clothes!
8) John surprised me the other day by reading “My many different colored days” to me. We have been reading it for quite some time, but I did not realize he was memorizing it. It is a little more in depth than, say “Brown Bear, Brown Bear”. I am trying to get it on video camera. We shall see.
9) Speaking of video camera – I desperately need to get more footage of John at this age on the video camera. I am going to do my best.
10) I feel like CRAP!
1) John is getting a little mole on his face, just like his Daddy!
2) John is eating like a horse lately. ANYTHING I put in front of him and ALL of it (including all veggies). SO PROUD!
3) Summer television is AWFUL! COMPLETELY AWFUL! We just watched season 4 of Dexter in 3 nights!
4) Starting to think about lunches to pack in John’s lunchbox. He starts a MDO/preschool next week. Any popular suggestions are welcome (we have no allergy restrictions)
5) I just drove by the parents taking their kids to the school for the first day on Monday and I was crying… not sure how next week is going to go.
6) John LOVES the ipad. I let him play on it the other day thinking it would keep his attention for a few minutes…before I knew it, he had been on it nearly an hour! He screams and cries “I want my ipad” or “I want to play with the ipad” over and over at night when it is time for bed. A little ridiculous that a 2 year old is addicted to the ipad. He is playing games, doing puzzles, drawing and reading books on it, so I suppose it is better than TV, but still…..
7) I need new clothes!
8) John surprised me the other day by reading “My many different colored days” to me. We have been reading it for quite some time, but I did not realize he was memorizing it. It is a little more in depth than, say “Brown Bear, Brown Bear”. I am trying to get it on video camera. We shall see.
9) Speaking of video camera – I desperately need to get more footage of John at this age on the video camera. I am going to do my best.
10) I feel like CRAP!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Islamorada - Year #2
(Warning: Long post, but worth reading some at the end if you are looking for a good laugh or travel suggestions)
We went to Islamorada, Florida again this year for vacation. We rented the same beach house and loved it just as much! I think (no, I know) that Carl would move down there in a heart beat. I told him we should quit our jobs and he should be a fishing guide and I will waitress. I am pretty sure we would be the youngest by at least 20 years. Lets just say the island is not full of young families!
Here are some highlights from this year's trip:
- We went to the Dolphin Research Center and did the "dolphin dip". There were plenty of places to do this, but this one was a non-profit and you could really tell that these people L.O.V.E.D these dolphins, so I felt really good spending our money there. Carl and John got on a platform in chest deep water and the dolphin, named Santini, swam by them and they got to pet his back, shake his fins, splash him, make him laugh and have him do tricks. John was not scared at all! He loved it. The child has no fear of animals! I guess I would be worried if Dinosaurs still roamed the earth or if the animals were not in cages at the zoo. :)
Tyler did the "dolphin swim", which consisted of all the things mentioned above, but they also got to hold his fin and swim with it!!!! They also got more one on one time with the dolphin. Tyler did great and they got some great pictures.
- One of my favorite afternoons was when Carl was throwing his net and catching some crabs and little fish off the shore and putting them in a bucket. That proved to be a great time for Tyler and John (well, really everyone). John just stuck his head and arms in the bucket and was trying to catch them all (SUPER cute picture below). He could have stayed there for hours.
- We rented a boat for the week and kept it at a local marina. Carl and Bob got up E.A.R.L.Y. every morning and took it out. I am pretty sure Carl finally wore Bob out to the point of exhaustion! He was such a GREAT trooper!
All of us went out on the boat the first day and although Adrienne and I had sea-sick patches on, poor Tyler did not. He did not quite have his sea legs. :( I was there last year so I felt terrible for him. He laid down and was okay, but was able to get up and fish a bit. He caught a big grouper, but it was endangered so we had to throw it back in (after a quick picture, see below). Carl had to jump in after it to perform a successful emergency surgery on its air bladder with a deflating tool.
The next day we all went out the waves were much calmer. We fished a bit first (Da caught a big black grouper that we took home) and then went over the Alligator reef (a popular spot from our last trip) and all got in the ocean and swam. The water looked like we were in a beautiful pool! We were about 13 miles off shore, but 8 feet of water, it was beautiful. Made me sad to think about the spill in the gulf and how horrible it is to ruin this incredible sight.
One morning, I went out with Bob and Carl. I felt a little icky, but was able to snap a couple of pictures of the mahi mahi that Carl caught (we took that home to eat it too).
When the boys went alone they brought up some big mahi mahi's and more grouper. There are some awesome pictures.
- Every evening we would all make our way down to the beach at some point to look for seashells or try to catch crabs, or take a ride in the kayak. After which we would sit on the back porch and wait for the 12 foot crocodile that liked to visit the pool (did not see him this year either, but saw his tracks). We really called every night an early night, but the mornings came pretty quickly.
- Key West. Well, what was supposed to be one trip ended up being two; however Carl, John and I did not go on either. Adrienne and Tyler headed down there one day to find that it was not much of a "family" town :). They took the last tour bus around the island for the day... luckily... because his book bag was accidentally left behind with electronics in it! I can not imagine the pit in their stomachs! It is nice to know there are some honest people left in the world. Someone found it and turned it into to the lost and found! So the next day, Nana, Da, Tyler and Adrienne headed down there again to retrieve the book bag and get fun souvenirs!
- Robbies - we took 1 trip to this place last year and 2 trips this year. It is a very small marina that has an outdoor restaurant and a little outdoor shopping village right outside. It is a huge tourist attraction because of the mammoth sized tarpins that hang around. You can pay $1.50 and get a bucket of bloody gross pin fish and feed it to the tarpins. John loves doing this, we will back every year. He will tell you all about it if you ask.
- Carl got John a crab and a gecko, both of which had to come into the shower with us to take a bath. Not sure they loved that, but they survived.
- Tyler was a regular in the pool. I love having the pool and ocean all right there at our disposal. Tyler was so patient and good with John, he would play with him and help him with things. It was cute.
- John had outgrown the house's crib that we used the previous year, so we put a twin mattress on the floor next to our bed and surrounded him in pillows. It worked awesome! He only ended up in bed with us 1 night. He was such a trooper and really was a great boy.
- The flights... oh the flights... I would have stayed on the plane coming home for another 4 hours if I could. We all used our miles to upgrade to 1st class. I tell you what... SPOILED ME! The flight to FL was good, of course we got delayed on the tarmac, but not for long. I was sitting with John while everyone else was surrounding us. We bought a 2-n-1 seat for him, it was a car seat and a stroller (but was thin enough to fit through airport security thingys and the aisles of the airplanes). I HIGHLY recommend borrowing ours if any of you need to, it was great to have. He sat in his seat all strapped in and was a great boy! We played, watched a movies/shows on my ipad, played games on my ipad, looked out the window, played with Diego, ate the breakfast (which turned into lunch) that they gave us, etc. Just towards the end he got a little restless, we all were, he just does not know how to control it. :) So I switched seats with Nana, and then everything was new again!
Okay, so I thought the ride there was easy... the flight home... I seriously would have stayed on it until they made me leave. It was a 777, the biggest passenger plane there is (I think). At first we all panicked because we were not actually sitting together due to the arrangement of the plane. I asked the check in desk person point blank if the seating arrangement between John and I would lend itself to a toddler, she assured me it would... she was CRAZY and CLEARLY had no kids. Anyway, after a Chinese fire drill when we got on, everyone ended up okay. I just put John in my lap (oh, don't feel sorry for me, it was a luxury) and his car seat in the random seat that was BEHIND me and BY ITSELF that the check in girl thought would be okay for him (I am not bitter about this or anything). All of the seats laid completely back for a bed (yes a flat bed) and turned around so you could have your own DESK, each of them had their own pop up TV's and you could order movies individually, and then if you were not in a bed position, you had another seat in front of you that you could ask a friend to come over and pull down a table between you and dine together! WHAT? Or you could shut yourself off and put a wall between you and the next person. Okay, I will stop (somehow this was the longest part of my story of the entire vacation?!?) Anyway, John was great, he sat with Daddy most of the time and watch Alvin and the Chipmunks. Then we all got together in one little pod and played, it was AWESOME!
- And lastly, I have to document this as I was in tears I was laughing so hard about this. Our drive home from the airport: Imagine 8 days away from home, traveling all day long with A LOT of luggage, we were just ready to be home.
1) the rod case (10 ft heavy, awkward case) got caught in the conveyor belt and was "lost" for a bit at DFW and all the workers are taking their SWEET time to help us out, so we had to wait for that.
2) the van that was supposed to pick us up and take us home ended up being a "party bus" in all its glory. Flashing strobe lights, champagne glasses, STRIPPER POLE and everything! It had NO seat belts for John's car seat or a trunk for our luggage, all 22 piece of it. WHAT?!?!?!
3) Carl = furious = calling company to say we would not pay.
4) Driver pulls me aside as we are on 121 and says to collect payment right then or we would be let out and find another ride home. I look over and Nana has her wipes out trying to sanitize the stripper pole and John is jumping from person to person and I am desperately hoping Carl does not realize what is happening. I choked up the credit card. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, we made it home and Carl called the CC company and cancelled the charge... haven't heard anything more from the car company.
And finally - pictures:
We went to Islamorada, Florida again this year for vacation. We rented the same beach house and loved it just as much! I think (no, I know) that Carl would move down there in a heart beat. I told him we should quit our jobs and he should be a fishing guide and I will waitress. I am pretty sure we would be the youngest by at least 20 years. Lets just say the island is not full of young families!
Here are some highlights from this year's trip:
- We went to the Dolphin Research Center and did the "dolphin dip". There were plenty of places to do this, but this one was a non-profit and you could really tell that these people L.O.V.E.D these dolphins, so I felt really good spending our money there. Carl and John got on a platform in chest deep water and the dolphin, named Santini, swam by them and they got to pet his back, shake his fins, splash him, make him laugh and have him do tricks. John was not scared at all! He loved it. The child has no fear of animals! I guess I would be worried if Dinosaurs still roamed the earth or if the animals were not in cages at the zoo. :)
Tyler did the "dolphin swim", which consisted of all the things mentioned above, but they also got to hold his fin and swim with it!!!! They also got more one on one time with the dolphin. Tyler did great and they got some great pictures.
- One of my favorite afternoons was when Carl was throwing his net and catching some crabs and little fish off the shore and putting them in a bucket. That proved to be a great time for Tyler and John (well, really everyone). John just stuck his head and arms in the bucket and was trying to catch them all (SUPER cute picture below). He could have stayed there for hours.
- We rented a boat for the week and kept it at a local marina. Carl and Bob got up E.A.R.L.Y. every morning and took it out. I am pretty sure Carl finally wore Bob out to the point of exhaustion! He was such a GREAT trooper!
All of us went out on the boat the first day and although Adrienne and I had sea-sick patches on, poor Tyler did not. He did not quite have his sea legs. :( I was there last year so I felt terrible for him. He laid down and was okay, but was able to get up and fish a bit. He caught a big grouper, but it was endangered so we had to throw it back in (after a quick picture, see below). Carl had to jump in after it to perform a successful emergency surgery on its air bladder with a deflating tool.
The next day we all went out the waves were much calmer. We fished a bit first (Da caught a big black grouper that we took home) and then went over the Alligator reef (a popular spot from our last trip) and all got in the ocean and swam. The water looked like we were in a beautiful pool! We were about 13 miles off shore, but 8 feet of water, it was beautiful. Made me sad to think about the spill in the gulf and how horrible it is to ruin this incredible sight.
One morning, I went out with Bob and Carl. I felt a little icky, but was able to snap a couple of pictures of the mahi mahi that Carl caught (we took that home to eat it too).
When the boys went alone they brought up some big mahi mahi's and more grouper. There are some awesome pictures.
- Every evening we would all make our way down to the beach at some point to look for seashells or try to catch crabs, or take a ride in the kayak. After which we would sit on the back porch and wait for the 12 foot crocodile that liked to visit the pool (did not see him this year either, but saw his tracks). We really called every night an early night, but the mornings came pretty quickly.
- Key West. Well, what was supposed to be one trip ended up being two; however Carl, John and I did not go on either. Adrienne and Tyler headed down there one day to find that it was not much of a "family" town :). They took the last tour bus around the island for the day... luckily... because his book bag was accidentally left behind with electronics in it! I can not imagine the pit in their stomachs! It is nice to know there are some honest people left in the world. Someone found it and turned it into to the lost and found! So the next day, Nana, Da, Tyler and Adrienne headed down there again to retrieve the book bag and get fun souvenirs!
- Robbies - we took 1 trip to this place last year and 2 trips this year. It is a very small marina that has an outdoor restaurant and a little outdoor shopping village right outside. It is a huge tourist attraction because of the mammoth sized tarpins that hang around. You can pay $1.50 and get a bucket of bloody gross pin fish and feed it to the tarpins. John loves doing this, we will back every year. He will tell you all about it if you ask.
- Carl got John a crab and a gecko, both of which had to come into the shower with us to take a bath. Not sure they loved that, but they survived.
- Tyler was a regular in the pool. I love having the pool and ocean all right there at our disposal. Tyler was so patient and good with John, he would play with him and help him with things. It was cute.
- John had outgrown the house's crib that we used the previous year, so we put a twin mattress on the floor next to our bed and surrounded him in pillows. It worked awesome! He only ended up in bed with us 1 night. He was such a trooper and really was a great boy.
- The flights... oh the flights... I would have stayed on the plane coming home for another 4 hours if I could. We all used our miles to upgrade to 1st class. I tell you what... SPOILED ME! The flight to FL was good, of course we got delayed on the tarmac, but not for long. I was sitting with John while everyone else was surrounding us. We bought a 2-n-1 seat for him, it was a car seat and a stroller (but was thin enough to fit through airport security thingys and the aisles of the airplanes). I HIGHLY recommend borrowing ours if any of you need to, it was great to have. He sat in his seat all strapped in and was a great boy! We played, watched a movies/shows on my ipad, played games on my ipad, looked out the window, played with Diego, ate the breakfast (which turned into lunch) that they gave us, etc. Just towards the end he got a little restless, we all were, he just does not know how to control it. :) So I switched seats with Nana, and then everything was new again!
Okay, so I thought the ride there was easy... the flight home... I seriously would have stayed on it until they made me leave. It was a 777, the biggest passenger plane there is (I think). At first we all panicked because we were not actually sitting together due to the arrangement of the plane. I asked the check in desk person point blank if the seating arrangement between John and I would lend itself to a toddler, she assured me it would... she was CRAZY and CLEARLY had no kids. Anyway, after a Chinese fire drill when we got on, everyone ended up okay. I just put John in my lap (oh, don't feel sorry for me, it was a luxury) and his car seat in the random seat that was BEHIND me and BY ITSELF that the check in girl thought would be okay for him (I am not bitter about this or anything). All of the seats laid completely back for a bed (yes a flat bed) and turned around so you could have your own DESK, each of them had their own pop up TV's and you could order movies individually, and then if you were not in a bed position, you had another seat in front of you that you could ask a friend to come over and pull down a table between you and dine together! WHAT? Or you could shut yourself off and put a wall between you and the next person. Okay, I will stop (somehow this was the longest part of my story of the entire vacation?!?) Anyway, John was great, he sat with Daddy most of the time and watch Alvin and the Chipmunks. Then we all got together in one little pod and played, it was AWESOME!
- And lastly, I have to document this as I was in tears I was laughing so hard about this. Our drive home from the airport: Imagine 8 days away from home, traveling all day long with A LOT of luggage, we were just ready to be home.
1) the rod case (10 ft heavy, awkward case) got caught in the conveyor belt and was "lost" for a bit at DFW and all the workers are taking their SWEET time to help us out, so we had to wait for that.
2) the van that was supposed to pick us up and take us home ended up being a "party bus" in all its glory. Flashing strobe lights, champagne glasses, STRIPPER POLE and everything! It had NO seat belts for John's car seat or a trunk for our luggage, all 22 piece of it. WHAT?!?!?!
3) Carl = furious = calling company to say we would not pay.
4) Driver pulls me aside as we are on 121 and says to collect payment right then or we would be let out and find another ride home. I look over and Nana has her wipes out trying to sanitize the stripper pole and John is jumping from person to person and I am desperately hoping Carl does not realize what is happening. I choked up the credit card. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, we made it home and Carl called the CC company and cancelled the charge... haven't heard anything more from the car company.
And finally - pictures:
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