Busy, Busy, Busy

School, soccer, and after school events have kept us quite busy so far this year. The boys are all doing great in school and are enjoying it. What more could you ask for? They have been going to soccer practice on Mondays and Wednesdays. Games start this weekend. Will and Noah have a bye week this first week, but Ethan has a game. I haven't been going to much of the practices. I have been trying to get my miles in each night so I only catch the last few minutes of Ethan's practice.

It is still quite warm here. Okay, hot! The kids are still able to swim in the 90+ degree pool and 85+ degree ocean. Later this week, we are supposed to have our first dip into the 60's at night since last spring! Sadly, Noah will want a coat for school on those mornings. He was complaining this morning when we left and it was 73. Normally, it is already 79 or so when we leave at 7:00.

On Saturday, Chris, Mike, Melissa, and I went to Sea World for the day. Katie and Matt watched all 6 kids for us. I was impressed! Matt looked ready to collapse when they left, but Katie could have kept on going I think. Sea World had an open house for teachers. Teachers always get in free at Sea World, but for the open house you could also bring in a guest for free. We didn't even have to pay for parking, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. Plus, our school has a chance to win a field trip for 200 since we completed all of the "teacher" activities! Their new Manta roller coaster is pretty awesome.

Here are some recent pictures of the boys at the beach. Ethan was there, but apparently avoided the camera!



I can't believe that pretty soon it will be too cold for the beach and pool. We still have a month or so more.

Some Old, Some New

Here are a few pictures from our school's pep rally. We have a program called "In the Zone" that rewards kids for getting zero referrals. We have zone days every 4 1/2 weeks. Any kid that gets no referrals during that time gets to attend their grade level's zone day. They choose activities such as crafts, dance, sports, electronics, etc. We have a pep rally at the beginning of the year and again halfway through the school year to encourage the kids to stay in the zone. (Sorry for the picture quality...someone was messing with my settings!)


Here Donna pumps up the 1st and 2nd graders! She was quite the MC!Will limbos out the door!
Noah heads out.
Here the boys show their rockets that they waved during the pep rally. I ran into them in the hallway and made them pose for me!
Noah just looks thrilled, huh?
Sam amps the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders!
Ethan and his friend Spencer.
Pamela hamming it up!
Speaking of Pamela, Ethan hung out with her for most of the day today. They watched Cake Boss after working on homework for a bit. Donna then allowed them to make and decorate their own cakes. They got pretty fancy! Ethan brought his home for us to eat. I didn't see Pamela's, but I'm sure it was just as fabulous!
Abby was barking like crazy out the front door. I thought Donna and Pamela were here to pick up Ethan, but instead it was the cranes out for a walk! Chris stalked them and took a couple pictures. He only had my camera since his takes so long to get ready!

Weekend and Soccer

We enjoyed our first long weekend of the school year! We fit in plenty of bike rides and pool time. Melissa and I see these huge buggies all the time on our bike ride. They are at least three inches long. It is crazy how big they are. Normally we find them squished on the road. This guy was alive and well on a country road. On Saturday night we had a big taco night event! The boys and Sophie love tacos so it was a treat for them. Paige and Emma were willing to partake in the experience since they were eating off of "school trays."
Soccer evaluations were yesterday. It was a long two hours at the fields! Here Noah struts his stuff. Just following his evaluation, he was bit by a fire ant and his pinkie turned into a massive looking blob. It was still a little swollen today after his three doses of Benadryl between last night and today. Hopefully he is not developing a reaction like Ethan's!
Will was showing his skills.
Since Chris and Melissa are coaching, the boys and Emma pretty much know what team they'll be on!
Chris is at the draft now. He has been there FOREVER. Hopefully he will be home shortly so I can go for a bike ride. Tomorrow night there is a PTA meeting so I don't think I'll fit one in. Unless of course I ride the miles to the meeting and show up a hot, stinky mess. Is that wrong???

Peter Bjorn and John!

My friend Mike and I saw them at The Social in Orlando last night. Not many good groups come out of Sweden, but I have to give them their due. They were awesome!!

Up Against the Wall (My personal favorite)


Nothing to Worry About


Young Folks

Shuttle Discovery Launch

"A quarter-century after its maiden voyage, shuttle Discovery soared back into space at 11:59 p.m. EDT (0359 GMT) tonight for a new mission to deliver equipment and research gear to the International Space Station." www.spaceflightnow.com

Thankfully, I was there to witness this momentous occasion. Unfortunately, I never learn my lesson from launch to launch, and always forget to note what camera settings I use when my pictures turn out okay. Well, I had a few minutes to prepare for this picture, and it just wasn't enough time. I'm not really satisfied with the picture, but hope you enjoy it anyway.

School Update

Noah has officially stopped verbalizing his dislike for school. He still needs to be lifted off of his bunk bed to start him off for the day, but at least once he is up and going he is good to go. Will and Noah just love being in Mrs. McDuffie's class. Their friend, Emma, had her and liked her so much that they just had to follow in her foot steps. They are very excited to have binders. They think they are hot stuff on campus now that they have them. It is hard to convince them to keep them in their book bags, as they want to show them off!

Ethan is very excited about his new class. He is reading a novel with his teacher and they are following the rules to become a perfect person in just three days. He takes his assignments very seriously. Today is no electronics, so he is playing Battle Ship with Noah and helping me cook dinner. I don't have to follow the rules, so I'm using the stove and oven!

Hanzie and Abby have slowly adjusted to us being away for the day. Hanzie brings fewer and fewer of my items out into the living room to cuddle with each day. Thankfully, he doesn't chew anything, just lays with it all. I wonder how many trips he makes back and forth between my room and the living room each day. I really need to set up the web cam so I can spy on him!

I started meeting with my groups today. The days are much more fun and fly by when I have groups! I gave them two days to settle into their rooms and routine and now we are off. I think it is going to be a great year!

First Day of School!

Well, the boys left for their first day of school with no hiccups.

We were a bit worried about Noah, since he has been exclaiming that he doesn't like school for the past couple of weeks. He loves school, though. I guess he just loves summer a little bit more! (I didn't notice until uploading the picture below that Noah tried on three pairs of shoes this morning. He put on one new pair of Vans that we got him, then a second pair of brand new Vans, and finally ended up with his old, junky shoes. He said that both new pairs are too big for him, but didn't realize that he wasn't wearing one of them. I sure wish he would said something when we were buying them.)

Will is typically fine, and just goes with the flow most of the time. That is, unless he is tired. If that boy doesn't get enough sleep, watch out!

Ethan's entire foot is swollen this morning, but everywhere else is back to normal. He did manage to put his new shoes on, so that is good. Don't want to deny a boy his first day back to school with a nice, new pair of shoes, do we?

Skating with the Fire Ants

Will and Noah love to skate and beg me all the time to take them to the good skate park in NSB. After I cut their hair this morning, I told them I would take them so they could practice a bit. Ethan said he was going to stay home with Jen, but at the last minute changed his mind. Looks like he should have stayed home, because after only about 5 minutes there, he was bit by a fire ant on his foot. He said that it hurt much worse than the other times, probably because this one was hung on until Ethan killed him took him off. I gave him some Zyrtec that I had in my car (that's all I had - besides an EpiPen). We figured out over time that all you have to do is take a double-dose of Benadryl, and you're fine in about a half hour. Since Zyrtec isn't the correct thing to take, I drove him home so he could take some Benadryl. I was trying to avoid having to use the EpiPen. Anyway, we got home in no time, but he still broke out in hives everywhere.

These two pictures are long after he took Benadryl.

Slip 'n Slide Fail

In the spirit of failblog.org, here is Noah attempting to slide minus the slip. Failure ensues.

Bike Ride Rescue

On our bike ride this morning, Melissa and I found this turtle in the middle of the road. We tried to rescue it, but a kind sir drove up in his truck and insisted we let him do it. He was truly trying to be nice, but we just didn't agree with his rescue technique! He basically just scooted the poor turtle across the road rather than just picking it up. Once he drove off, we finished the rescue efforts. The lake the poor water turtle was trying to get to was over a fence. Melissa picked him up and put him on the other side of the fence. I watered him down and he made is way to the pond. We continued on our way. It was super hot, super sunny, and super windy which did not make for fun ride today. I was trying to use my powers to call away the wind element, but I'm lacking ability!Check out that pointy nose!
Yesterday, Noah refused to lose the rollerblading gear to eat. Once he did shed the gear, I was pretty happy that the left it on at the table. He was so sweaty under that helmet!
I made them homemade cinnamon whipped cream to put on their waffles last night and only Ethan and Noah liked it. Bummer.
Off to spend the afternoon swimming and doing laundry.

Today

Today the boys went to VBS with our friend Donna for most of the day. We were able to sneak off to lunch and mall for a bit. On our way to the mall we did a little bird watching. These birds were really funny! (I believe that they are wood storks.)I have been to Flip Flops several times for girls' night outs, but Chris' has never been and I knew he would like it. We went for lunch today so he could try it. Thankfully, he liked it, because it is one of my favorites. "Yes, chef!"
Chris relaxes in front of Flip Flops.
This is officially our last week of summer. Teachers start back on Tuesday. Unfortunately, for the boys, this means they start back Tuesday as well. We are planning on a beach morning Monday.

The boys shifted the rooms all around. Ethan is enjoying his new bedroom. Will and Noah are still sharing. Will wanted his own room for a bit, but Noah convinced him to keep sharing. I truly can't imagine those two apart! They chat forever at night. Speaking of bedrooms, we got a new Sensus memory foam topper for our bed and I LOVE it. We got a new mattress a couple of years ago and Chris wanted a firm mattress for his back. Well, of course, I haven't slept well in a couple of years. This topper is exactly what I needed! I'm so excited not to be tossing and turning all night anymore.

Blue Springs

Today we went to Blue Springs. We ended up staying for hours since we were having such a good time! We tubed some, snorkeled some, and had a picnic.


This is one of the fish hanging out in the spring.Today was super crowded with scuba people!
Ethan is checking out the fish.
Here he is showing off for his dad.
We are officially entering our final week of summer break. It is sort of depressing, but I think the time has come! We sure have had our fair share of fun this summer after such a sick start! Ethan has cooking class tomorrow and Will and Noah are still trying to decide what special thing they want to do while he is at class.

Chris' friend Manny met us up at the spring and he can dive insanely deep with no gear. He has made it 60 feet down the cave to the Grim Reaper sign saying you can't go any further with scuba gear and cave certification. Chris filmed him diving down into the cave today. There is no sound because the microphone doesn't work that deep.

Photo Shoot

Today Emma, Pamela, and Josiah were hanging out with us while their parents were running various errands. We had tons of fun playing in the pool and then just had fun entertaining Josiah.

Josiah and the lovely Miss Emma.
Josiah and the glamorous Miss Pamela.
Josiah and his twin monkey shirt friend, Ethan.
After playing in the pool for 15 minutes, Josiah crashed! He slept in the pool for 15 minutes and then slept in a pool chair with me for another 45 minutes. Apparently, Sam needs a pool to get him to sleep.
We are now about to learn some dances and paint our fingers and toes blue! We are all off to the springs tomorrow. We are trying another Florida spring out tomorrow.

Date Night at The Melting Pot

Reverse order here...


This is our bananas foster fondue. It was so delicious!Just for Greg and Karen...picture of our food.

Chris is setting the joint on fire with his charm! He even got Josie, our waitress, to hook us up with a better table.
More for Greg and Karen. I would have gotten more, but I think I was embarrassing the others at the table snapping pho-toes.
Everything was super delicious. Katie and Matt deserve a reward for watching all six kids so we could go out! I think Matt will probably sleep well after his Guitar Hero World Tour, swimming, and wrestling! Katie had the kids in bed by 8:00, wink, wink. Okay, she had them loaded on Burger King and Coke at 8:00! The kids gave them a big thumbs up on their babysitting skills. Soon, Katie and Matt with be bringing babies for us to watch! (Not too soon people, don't read into that!)

Pool Time

Friday Fun

We went back to the spring today. The kids love it and loved it even more today with even more friends to hang out with! This is the "walkway" or "cheating" way up to the head of the spring. You can swim against the crazy current, if you want to.This turtle is covered in algae!
Emma, Melissa, Paige, and Sophia on the log.
Josiah and Sam. JoJo wasn't too fond of the cold water!
Fish.
Sammy, Sophia, Noah, Emma, Paige, Ethan, and Bryce.
This is the head of the spring. There are divers over 100 feet below that entrance.
Pamela, Will, Noah, and Ethan.
Will, Noah, Ethan, Sammy, and Andy.
Bryce, Sammy, Josiah, Pamela, Andy, Ethan, Noah, and Will getting ready for some fun!
After the springs, we cranked up the heat in the spa and warmed up there. I'm not sure how you can be cold on a 90 degree+ day, but the springs keep you chilled for the rest of the day!