The BOY with the Dragon Tattoo

Ty claims he wants a dragon tattoo when he grows up.  Funny thing is ... he says it's going to be a temporary one!  Guess we don't have to worry about that child!

HELP! I'm Outnumbered!

Well, it's happened ... the children are officially "in cahoots" and working against me!

For about two weeks now, I've been able to gracefully avoid Abby's attempts to spend a large part of her savings on a new Webkinz. She has asked often ... okay, about 50 times a day ... if she could please, please, please buy one with her "own money." She has written diary entries about the things she would do to earn one, documented her progress in wearing me down in said diary, and generally not shut up about the whole thing! Well, I guess she wore me down, because somehow in my not-quite-on-the-ball state today, I apparently agreed to let her buy one. She was driving me NUTS!

Then, to make matters worse (and I really don't know how I let this happen), Tyler expressed interest in getting one too. I said, "no" (because why does a four-year old boy need a Webkinz!?!) and at first he seemed fine with the decision. But, Abby convinced him he should buy one. She told him he could have his own Webkinz World on the computer! I countered, "Well, that would be fun, but there's no way Tyler has enough money for a Webkinz. Oh well." Guess what? He does. Awhile ago I found them, Noah's Ark bank open on the floor, counting out Tyler's money! So I pulled the "what have you done to earn this?" card. But, they made a list of the chores they would accomplish in the next half hour (on their Magnadoodle!) and got to work. They were even brushing their teeth (at 3:30 p.m!) for goodness sake!

So, I ask you, what do I do? I guess we're going Webkinz shopping this afternoon. But, do I spring for half of their Webkinz? Do I let them buy the whole thing with their own money? Why not, right? We buy them things all the time! But somehow I feel guilty. That's like stealing a kid's money from their piggy bank. BUT ... on the other hand, haven't we plopped about two-thirds of that change in there when we've found it in jeans pockets, etc!?! Input please Blog readers. Thanks!

Summer Camp

Yesterday, Jenn and I took the kids down to Summer Camp Beach, a resort near Alligator Point. They have an agreement with SouthWood, so residents (we consider ourselves pseudo-residents, but we actually went as Jenn's guests yesterday) can come for the day and hang out at the beach or the pool. Unfortunately, the beach was pretty full of seagrass, so we hung out and had our lunch (and adult beverages!) on the deck. Abby was in a mood, so TRUST ME, the adult beverages were a must. Thanks Jenn for throwing them in the cooler!





We hung out at the pool for most of the day ... played checkers and got some sun. Next time, we're going to attempt the kayaks!



Note: sorry about the cloudy pictures. There was something on my phone's camera lens. All the pictures are kind of blurry. If Jenn got a couple good shots, I'll add them later.

Random!

I've had a note here about a couple things to share ... just some recent events that have made me chuckle (although some began in horror and ended with a chuckle!) Enjoy.

CHUCKLE #1: Tyler just can't seem to grasp the name of the store "Publix." He has never been able to say it. In fact, to this day he pronounces it "Pubs-lix" instead. But the most recent confusion has occurred when I tell him he really shouldn't do something "in public." Here's a sample conversation from this past week:

Me: Tyler, take your hands out of your pants ... it's not nice to walk around the house with them in there and you definitely don't want to do it in public!
Tyler: Mommy, I promise I won't do it when we're in Publix.

But remember, he pronounces it Pubs-lix, which just adds to the humor. Now, I haven't even addressed what he's doing with his hands down his pants! I can only tell you Tyler, at age 4, is quite a little man. A preschool Al Bundy, if you will!

CHUCKLE #2: Let's stick with Tyler for a moment. Some of you, who follow me on Facebook, might have heard about this first for our family. Neither of our children have ever been "draw on the walls, climb the fences, test the outlets" type of kids. I know many of those kids, but as a teacher at Advent once put it, our two seem to "know their world," a.k.a. their boundaries. Well, Tyler crossed the line last week. I was on the computer and Tyler was watching TV, when I assume he mindlessly found a small (but not VERY small) battery lying about and stuck it up his nose.

The perpetrator was a "LR44 alkaline cell" battery. Marked in this picture with its other name - AG13, it's a (and a I quote from Wikipedia) "button cell alkaline battery, commonly used in small LED flashlights, digital thermometers and calipers, watches, clocks, and laser pointers."

We could add to that description: the LR-44 battery fits just great in a 4-year old's nostril! When Tyler came running in for help, he was sticking his finger up in his nose ... pushing the battery farther up in there. In "mom school" they don't teach you what to do in this situation, so I improvised. We held the other nostril closed and I told Ty to act like a cow and snort it out. Would you believe it worked!?! Amazing. But, even more amazing is that Tyler claimed then ... and still claims today ... that the battery "flew up his nose!" I kid you not. We're now having big discussions about lying!

Chuckle #3: I don't know if this is laugh out loud funny, but it's comical. My mom (sorry Grammy for calling you out!) is kind of struggling with her new Droid smartphone. We just taught her how to send a picture message the other day, but Abby can now text on my phone, use voice search to find something on Google, pull up one of her favorite game applications, and search and download new game apps from the Marketplace. She's SEVEN! Mind you, since I realized she could do all of this, we've prohibited her from touching the phone without asking first, and I've moved the voice search off my home screen. As I told Abby, "Google is great, but how does the voice search application know for sure what you're saying?" There are lots of words out there that rhyme ... and I don't need Google to make a mistake!

Chuckle #4: Look who is on a pop-up ad on the Tallahassee Democrat webpage? And, what mistakes have I made you might ask!!!???

Don't worry ... I'm simply an actor on the teentruth.org site, which was designed by Wahi Media. Some of you may know that Dennis and I have done a bit of on-camera work for them for various clients. But I'm thinking the Department of Health's grant included free banner ads to advertise their new site! I've had friends all over town texting me to ask why they've seen me online. Dennis pulled this off the Tallahassee Democrat's web page so I could share it with all of you family members. Laugh away Mom and Dad ... go ahead. Funny!

So Long Preschool Gym!

Although Ty made the obligatory "sad face" for me for the sake of this picture, I think it was ME who was really torn up about our last day in the preschool gym! After this session (which I thought ended today ... but really ends next week ... oops!), Tyler will graduate to the kindergym. He goes by himself now. Which means no "mommy & me" classes. I've been phased out!

That said, I've known this day was coming. We signed up for the summer session so we could say our goodbyes. :) Truthfully, I'm a bit over the preschool room now. Between the two kids, we've taken classes in there for about five years straight ... give or take a session. But it's just the right size for them, and they love it!

Bye Preschool Gym! As Abby says (in her most dramatic tone), "we'll see you when we have our own kids!"

Traveling Treats

Kym ... can you believe I hadn't used this plate until now? I was waiting for the right neighbors with whom to share ... and for treats that actually made it out of the house. Usually they remain in our house ... or in other words, find a resting spot on Dennis' tummy and my thighs! Here's a shot of Tyler before we filled the plate with brownies the other day.

And here's a closeup of the cute poem. Who knows, maybe the plate will make its way back to us someday! What a cute idea this is ... thanks Kym and crew!

Fancy Schmancy

On Saturday, Abby went to a Fancy Nancy tea party with a bunch of her gal pals (a fancy way of saying her buddies!) As you can see, she broke out ALL of her accessories ... and then some! And I'm sure you'll be glad to see that she brought some of her sass too ...



THAT we could have done without! It was a really cute party though. They made crowns, read the Fancy Nancy story, had tea ... and drew for doorprizes.

Meanwhile at home ... Tyler was being slightly less fancy! Yes, all of you grandparent-types out there ... we do realize this is dangerous, and we've talked with Tyler about the possible implications. Having shared that disclaimer ... I'm glad we ran him through the laundry, because isn't he stinkin' cute!??!

Before and After

I don't know if anyone will find this as exciting as me (and Dennis I hope, since I did it in large part for him!) but check out the before and after pictures of our front landscaping.

This is BEFORE:





And this is AFTER:

I am kind of an indoor gal (unless the outdoor activity involves a pool or exercise!), so Dennis handles the majority of our exterior upkeep. Like I do inside, it's easiest to deal with the project "on fire," or the one that requires immediate attention. Redoing the flower beds, lying pinestraw, moving plants around, and removing trees, etc. has been on our list for awhile, but we hadn't gotten to it. So, I surprised Dennis by having a crew come by one day before his birthday. What a difference! It really makes me want to tackle some other projects out there!

Birthday Getaway

A couple weekends ago, Dennis was turning the big 4-0, so we decided a weekend getaway was in order. Grandan helped hook us up with a great resort over in Panama City Beach, and Grammy came up to play babysitter. What fun we had! There were MANY pools, a long pier with a waterside bar, and a little beach on the bay ... lined with lots of little sea creatures.

We had a great time just laying by the pool, then walking out to have a drink and bite to eat at "Limes," the bar at the end of the pier.

On Saturday night, we took a speedboat tour on the "Sea Screamer." This was us before the boat left the dock ...

And although you can't tell how much we're moving, this is Dennis once the Screamer began bobbing along on the water. The Gulf was VERY choppy that evening, and standing wasn't the best option. Although we DID stand along the rail ... and we got VERY wet!

We also saw dolphins right along side the boat ... so cool!

All the kids on board (and the birthday boys!) got to drive the boat. Keep us on course Captain Dennis!

Amazing how full the docks were ... lots of fishing boats, because with the oil spill, none of them are able to work. It's so sad! I am happy to report though, that the beaches were oil free! Coincidentally, the day after we left the area, Michelle Obama rolled into town to report the same thing. Michelle, I could have saved you a trip! :)

Since the waters were so choppy, our tour guide made a few stops along the way ... one at Gracie Mae's, a local seafood restaurant right on the water. We waited a bit longer than I thought was necessary, but then we learned it's because they were cooking up a fresh batch of Hush Puppies, just for our boat! Dennis and I both caught one ... and boy were they yummy, but we agreed we felt like sea gulls trying to catch a handout!

When we docked at the Boatyard and got off the boat, Dennis and I were able to see up close the crabs our "first mate" had caught for the kids on board. They were just going to let everyone check them out, then throw them back. Somehow, I was coaxed into holding one. BAD IDEA ... and it was even worse that Dennis was ready with the camera.

I was wary at first ...

Then I freaked out ...

And THEN, I was fine for a moment or two ...

... until he moved! And, what did I do!?! I got a case of the heebie jeebies and tossed the poor spider crab across the deck of the boat! Fortunately, all of the kids (who had been carefully instructed on the correct crab-holding method) had left by that point!

The next morning, I woke up next to an old man! Yes, he's 40 now!

We spent a leisurely morning by the pool, reading the paper ...

... but then we amped it up with a couple hours out in the gulf on waverunners! It was SUCH fun. Unfortunately, this is the only picture we have now ... more to come when a fellow water lover sends us his shots. But, it was a great way to ring in Dennis' birthday.

Happy B-Day Big D!

Dennis' birthday (... a big one, number 4-0!) was on Sunday, so we hurried back from Panama City to have a birthday dinner with Abby, Tyler and Grammy.











Abby and Tyler were excited to see their dear 'ole (!) dad. They greeted him with a handmade birthday sign and party hats. Then we had a yummy dinner, prepared by Grammy, and opened birthday presents. Shawn, Dennis' longtime friend from Iowa, hit a high note by sending our crew his old Star Wars comic books. He figured Dennis would enjoy reading them to Abby and Tyler. How thoughtful!

Thanks to Grammy for getting Dennis' favorite - Apple Pie for a birthday cake - and for taking AWESOME care of our little guys while we were away. How lucky we are to have great parents (yes ... you two in Iowa as well!) who jump in so we can get away!

Weird Tallahassee Trees

These trees are a mystery to me ... why are half of the branches covered in spider webs? I've seen them all over town lately! Bonus points to the person who can help us out. Inquiring 4-, 7-, and ??-year old minds want to know!

UPDATE: Okay, Marc Smith (who apparently once worked during a summer at a garden center) says they are pests of some sort. And, Dennis seconds the motion ... saying he remembers trees on the farm getting taken over by these pests. I guess Bill used to take action and fumigate the whole tree. Interesting! The kids and were just thinking it was the work of a very overzealous spider!

Drama King?

Is there such thing as a Drama KING? If so, I've found him!

The other day, Tyler jumped off the foot of our bed (he's been telling people he was "trying to fly!") and somehow he hurt his foot ... pretty badly. Grammy was hanging out with him shortly after the incident, and when I returned, she told me he was having trouble walking. Since we were planning to go out of town the next day, we all agreed x-rays were a good idea, especially considering Tyler couldn't walk on his foot, and he wouldn't even let us touch it! Luckily we have a great Urgent Care facility, that is a wonderful alternative to the Emergency Room. They took us relatively quickly, albeit at dinnertime. When we got back to see the doctor, and I had explained his "injury," the doctor began his examination. Imagine my surprise when Tyler didn't even flinch at the doctor's touch ... nor did he yelp (as he had been doing for us). In fact, he told the doctor it didn't hurt. I guess I must have looked shocked. "Tyler?" I said, "What's the deal?" And this is the face I got ...



Me thinks the boy was pulling our chain! And, truly I can't believe he duped us!



But, he looked like the cat that ate the canary here on the exam table ... and he just loved the attention he received from the nurses. Getting x-rays was also a big, new experience for Tyler. Unfortunately, the entire process took just under three hours, only to leave with a pretty clean bill of health (which WE had figured out a couple hours earlier!) It's only a sprain ... which is hard to explain to a little guy who likes to run and jump. He's strained it more over the past week than he should have, and you better believe he's milked the injury for much more than it's worth! But you just gotta love him. He's my little stinkpot!