Tell Me Again... Why did we leave Florida?

Well the first of the Ice Storms have hit. I have missed 2 1/2 days of work for this ice storm. This pathetic excuse of an Ice Storm. I call it pathetic because last year looked more drastic and devastating however we never lost power.

What I don't understand (Heather & Michelle you can probably back me up on this) is the minute a drop of snow falls or the potential of ice to hit the ground the schools are closing. When I was growing up it was next to impossible to get a snow day. You couldn't see outside your windows for all the snow and the roads were an ice skating rink. That only meant first period was off. Am I right? Of course Michelle was the smart one (I think)... she is reaping the benefits we never had growing up.

I probably wouldn't be so bitter if I was getting compensated for the days missed or if I didn't continue to pick jobs that expect you to come to work no matter what!

Anyway, enough of my ranting, here are a few pics for those in Florida. Those in Mass... this is nothing to what you go through. I bet schools don't close there the minute Mr. Freeze Mizer so much as sneezes.

But the good news is Logan is learning how to cook during this extra time off from school

Yep! He did those all by himself. We just put them into the oven for him.

Back Home

We are back home but thinking of Florida regularly. Glad to be near family but miss Austin and the Ocean. Logan tells us daily that he wants to go on a plane and see Austin.

Our last day on the beach was windy, cold but still beautiful. Would love to show you the pics of the dolphins playing and jumping in the water... but I deleted them. Sorry. I was trying to make room for more pics and the I got delete happy.

Here are a few pics from our last two days...

We created our dream home, as well as, a home near by for those who come to visit. It has a gorgeous beach view. There is a bridge close by that will bring you to our castle.

Captain Memo's Pirate Ship

We started out the day with a little "Booty" Burying:

Went back and relaxed. After Logan got up from his nap we headed out to the Pirate Ship. If you are ever in Clearwater, Florida I definitely suggest this trip. It was such great fun for the kids and adults. Definitely geared around the children there were water gun fights, story telling, treasure hunts and dancing. However very thoughtful of the parents... the fare included complimentary beer and wine.

Just Another Day at the Beach

Our last two days at the beach have been incredible! Logan took to the water immediately.

On both days we have seen schools and schools of Dolphins. In fact today there were some not 25 feet from us. I would have liked to have gotten more pics but you never knew exactly where they were going to surface and I am not too quick with the camera.

Logan had his first Alligator bites (taste like chicken)

At the Worlds Longest Ocean Front Bar. Exactly how that is determined I'm not sure. Is that some one's job to measure bars on the beach? Or is it like the World's Best Lasagna?

Needless to say Logan is feeling right at home

And so is Austin since he has his Wii to keep him busy when we are not. However his little brother won't stop mimicking everything he does.

Tomorrow we are off to "Captain Nemo's Pirate Ship"

Vacation

We are currently vacationing in Tampa, Florida. This is a huge treat for me because the last real vacation I had was right after Logan was born. We went to Twenty-Nine Palms, California so Austin could see his brother and then to Massachusetts so his Meme & Pepe could see him.

Since then I have had the long weekends here or there. The family getaway my mother puts together at Grand Lake and some camping trips but not the real thing. A long week away from work and worries. A hotel with nothing to contemplate but, do we take a nap or go back down to the beach.

So... the beginning of our trip, not so good. We got to the airport in enough time to check in, relax, and assure us to get a last minute stop at the bathroom (because of course we are potty training). Obviously it has been forever since we traveled because we forgot to check to see if our plane was running on time. We were supposed to leave at 11:50am. When we got to our gate it had been delayed to 12:30pm. No big deal... we will start our vacation now. Bloody Mary's anyone?


Jeff then goes to check. It has been delayed until 1:30pm. Seems the original plane had mechanical difficulties. Our brand new computer which we just got back from technical support has little to no sound! For those of you who have small children... this is not good!!! We try anyway and it buys us a little time.

When we finally board ($55 short of our spending money) Logan is all excited. We give him a sucker because this solves his need to run up and down the aisle (it's way past nap time, mind you).

This works wonderfully... in fact it might has well been a pacifier.

What you are missing in this picture is the 20 minutes it took for us to pry the sucker from his mouth in the 30 minute flight. By the way... that is all he needed before we got on to the LONG flight. No time to take pictures then. We were too busy saying "Stop yelling", "Sit Down!" "Am I going to have to take you into the bathroom?!"

A computer with sound would have been excellent right about then.

Must be in the DNA

Seriously where do kids get these things....

Logan was at the dinner table complaining his tummy hurt. He had also made a comment to this fact earlier that morning. It wasn't affecting his mood or his eating so I assumed it must be gas (he ate a can of green beans the night before along with two hot dogs).

So I ask him... "Do you have gas?" He proceeds to lean left and raise up his butt. Then lowers it and says "NOPE"

Demoted

That's right I have been demoted.

I am now referred to as "Mom". No more "Mommy" or "Momma" What's next to go? Goodbye kisses at daycare? The fight over who loves who more?

My main question is.... Why is "Daddy" still "Daddy"?

Baseball Player, Actor or Director?

I know every parent tries to imagine what their child will be when they grow up. So of course I am no different.

Baseball Player (Preferably for the Red Sox)
Jeff and Austin have a natural talent for sports. Especially baseball and it seems this talent has not passed Logan by. You can pitch the ball to him and he will knock the bleepty-bleep out of it. We have pretty much ruled out batting practice in the house (Even if it is a plastic ball).

Actor
Logan at an early age started learning how to pretend, use facial expressions and play his mom.

Director
His bossiness makes me think director. As he is acting and playing with you he stops and starts telling you how to act:

Logan: "No, Like this" he starts shaking his hands in fright "then 'aaahhh' and fall down. Okay!"

If you don't do it right. He stops all playing and explains it again. He just hasn't learned to use the phrase "CUT"!

All I know is... I hope it pays for our early retirement!

Quite Impressionable

You're Anne of Green Gables!
by L.M. Montgomery

Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You're impulsive, rash, honest, and probably don't have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn't exactly treat others with kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters. You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I'm not sure this really represents me but it is funny that this is what came up. Hope & I spent many hours watching this movie and were just talking about recently.

Early Wakenings

5:30a.m. I am sleeping soundly. I have a 1/2 hour of blissful sleep left before I have to get up and get ready to go to my so called "job" when I am rudely awakened by "Mama! Mama!" I go running into Logan's room concerned something major has happened.

"What! What's wrong!"

"I have to go pee pee."

I am thinking... isn't that why you have diapers on? I reach down thinking his diaper must be full only to realize he doesn't have a diaper on.

"Where's your diaper?"

"Right Here!" He hands me a perfectly good, dry diaper. "I go pee pee in the potty"

Thrilled he is working on his potty training. Just wish he could have waited a 1/2 hour.

Kindred Spirits

Hope and I have known of each other since Junior High. However we didn't become friends until high school. In fact we both dated Craig N. I asked him to the Christmas dance but he was already going with Hope. However, Sophomore year we were both placed in Drama together and once again dated the same guy.

She had gone out on a date with Ross W., he then asked me out. He also asked me to the Prom. I was worried that Hope would be upset and struggled over how to tell her. One day Hope was sitting behind me looking at Prom dresses (GREAT!) and Mrs. Martinez, our ever so tactful drama teacher, comes up to her and tells her to put the magazine away and says "it's not as if you are going to the prom anyway". I turned around in shock. I saw tears welling up in Hopes eye and told her "don't you dare cry, don't you give her the satisfaction". Hope didn't cry but you could tell she was devastated.

After class I went to Mrs. Martinez and told her she needed to apologize to Hope. I was quite mouthy in high school. Luckily Mrs. Martinez saw the error of her ways and went to Hope's next class and apologized.

I ditched German class to go to the Library where Hope did something that hour. I can't remember what and told her about me and Ross going to the Prom together. She didn't care, she had been pining over Rick.

Since then Kindred Spirits were born. I ditched German regularly to hang out in the Library with Hope. We spent nights in my backyard sneaking cigarettes planning our future and how we would attend our 10 year Reunion, jet plane or limo (mom, if you are reading this, this even after dad beat my ass for smoking... sorry). We vandalized Mrs. Martinez's car with pads and tampons (I know... disgusting) and felt self righteous about it. We attended the Psychic fair every month in hopes to find out what the future held. Many nights spent at Village Inn, smoking cigarettes, discussing the fate of the world, or the next Batman movie.

We graduated, we fell in and out of love, we grew up. We stayed in touch, then we didn't, then we did. All those times we didn't talk I knew we would see each other again. We were Kindred Spirits.

We are grown now with families of our own and as you can see from the pictures... our children are Kindred Spirits also.

Paranoia

My worse fear is losing Logan. I feel as though I don't deserve to be this happy. No, I should re-phrase that. I don't mean that in a despairing, feel sorry for me, type of way. I just can't imagine that in my selfish, self-serving past that I did anything that said I deserved such a great husband and child.

Why do I bring this up... He is sick. It seems everytime he gets sick it is worse than the last time. This time he is running a fever higher than ever, 104.8. Doctor tells me this is nothing to worry about. I'm not the kind to worry unnecessarily. At least not openenly, but when Logan gets sick I start going into the paranoia phase.... he has been eaten up by mosiquitoes lately, is it West Nile? Does he have some obscure disease? My best friend would laugh at this paranoia. She is a hypochondriac by nature. I tease her non-stop about it... she would find this quite humourous.

Now that I put it on paper and it is out there to see.. I see how silly it all sounds and I can let go of that fear. I think.

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!!

Is there anything more gloriously fun than watching your child eating an ice cream cone?

Snuggle Me

I cried the day my son went from a crib to a big boy bed. I know it is silly but all of a sudden he wasn't an infant anymore, he was a big boy.

He now no longer has me rock him. He crawls into bed and says "snuggle me". How can I resist? I crawl in bed, hoping to keep some kind of routine and authority, I tell him "okay, but just for a minute." He crawls into my arms. I lay there savoring every second.

A minute goes by, okay... 5 minutes, and I tell him it is time for me to go to bed. He say's "one more, than no more" and throws his body on me, covering me like a favorite blanket. How can I resist. We lay there a little longer and then I tell him it is time for me to go to bed... "Okay mommy, wuv you"

Good lord... If I cried the day he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed, what am I going to do when he no longer wants to snuggle me.