Black Thumb

If you have a black thumb like me, you understand my frustration with plants. They don't like me.

When we got home from the beach, my beloved peace lily was struggling. It is a plant that we got when we lost our first baby, so I was emotionally attached to it. Basically, I just have to water it and it lives! When I forget to water it, as soon as I give it water it perks up in about 12 hours and all is good.

I think when we left for the beach, it had been awhile since I'd watered it and it looked like this when we got home:I wasn't sure it was going to make it. After a couple days it still wasn't perking up, but it was still green, so I was hopeful! After about five days, it started to perk back up. I had to cut off some leaves that were brown, but it is finally looking good! So, if you have a black thumb like me - go for a peace lily!

(and no, the plant doesn't live in the sink, just sits there during watering sessions)

A Full Monday!

This morning I think my mind finally let go of the "vacation" mentality. I've felt a little lazy the past week with the house. I was unpacked within an hour of getting home, but hadn't fully transferred to household duties. Of course, nobody else noticed, but it was starting to bug me.


So, this morning I woke up, started a load of laundry immediately, made Jason's lunch and began cleaning. And cleaning. And just kept switching out loads of laundry and cleaning until I needed to leave at 11:15 to run some errands and meet a friend at the park.


While waiting for our friends to get to the park, we rode the carousel. While leaving the carousel and heading to the fountain (the real reason we showed up at the park), we 'bumped into' my cousin and her family - they live 7 hours north of here and were letting their boys burn energy before getting back in the car. It was a great surprise and treat to get to visit with them.


Then, onto a picnic lunch, visiting with friends and playing in the fountain.Mollee and Madeleine waiting for the big sprayer to spray



and getting hit!!We left the park, got dry clothes on in the car, headed to two different bank drive-thrus and then visited Sonics Happy Hour (1/2 price slushies)!!!

Once home, I insisted on a reading hour to get us back into the groove of being studious and then made the kids clean up the playroom so I could vacuum before dinner, while continuing to switch out loads of laundry.

Being here and there and everywhere, Pizza Hut cooked us dinner!!

The evening ended with an early bedtime for worn out children and a movie night for Mommy and Daddy thanks to Netflix!

G-R-E-E-N (and We're Home!)

**this may be lengthy, I'm going to cram all of vacation into one entry**

We got home last night and, as much as I love vacation, it is always good to be home!!

A common question about our vacation has been, was there any oil? On Thursday, there was an oil sheen with some tar balls, but we went to the beach again Saturday and it was fine. Not sure about all that?!?! The second half of the week they had big ditches dug out along the shore line. They were planning to fill it with straw when the oil hit to absorb the oil, rather than letting it get to the white sand. Unfortunately, you couldn't see the water (or kids playing) while sitting under an umbrella on the beach because of these trenches.

One word that could be used to describe our vacation: GREEN! (and I don't mean environmentally friendly) I have never seen the Gulf so disgusting. Here are pictures a friend posted of the same exact section of beach two months ago (at the end of her post it looks like pool water). Here are some examples of the beginning of our week:

We didn't go to the beach every day, but our days basically consisted of beach, pool, naps, eating!! I went to the beach most days and took whomever wanted to go with me. Jason and Capps are not lovers of the sand and Mac and Daegan hated the sunscreen process. It did help to be able to meet cousins (Philip's family) there.

We did get to take the kids kayaking. That was fun to go out to the sand bar and enjoy clear, cool water. I went with Capps and my brother, Philip. Then Philip took Tavis and his son, Thomas and then came back for Mollee and his son, Jacob.

The last day, Saturday, the water was the clearest and I had convinced everyone to go the beach for one last time!! (and, of course, I needed a family picture on the beach)

Of course, everybody loved the pool!!!

Jason forgot to tan! hehehe

One night I sent the kids outside to run around, burn some energy and use the sidewalk chalk. The sprinkler system had come on and this is how I found them instead:

We ate at Beef O'Brady's twice

and, of course, The BackPorch (a tradition)

One night we went to The Village and played on the playground, ate ice cream and visited the Marina.

And got our annual picture on 'the big chair'As Tavis would like to put it we "got too many family photos":

Vacation 2010

We were scheduled to go to the beach one week and my parents were scheduled to be at the beach the week before us. We live a few doors from each other so we don't usually vacation together, but....the kids have never been to the beach with Papa and Grandma. They graciously invited us to come down a few days early to spend with them. (which meant a longer vacation)

The day before we left home, Mac woke up from his nap with fever, so we headed to the dr's office for the last appointment of the day. three hours of packing/cleaning gone He had a sinus infection and an ear infection, so I was glad I took him - normally I would have 'waited it out', but since we were leaving for vacation I didn't want to risk it.

Jason worked the day we left, so we left later than I prefer (I like to get out the door at the crack of dawn), but we got there at a reasonable time - of course, we gained an hour.

I kept a close eye on the oil spill, as it was heading to the shore, the days before we left. We weren't sure what to expect, but we were determined to be thankful for the whatever days we got to go to the beach. Thus far, the ocean has been so full of seaweed, the worst I've ever seen it, but each day it gets better. No oil yet!

My brother, Philip, and his family are also at the beach this week in the area. We don't vacation together (they are active vacationers and we are do-as-little-as-possible vacationers), but we always enjoy meeting up with each other at the beach once in awhile and maybe have a meal or two together.

Today, Daegan woke up with pink eye. He always keeps our vacations exciting (two years ago he fell off the couch and got a concussion and had to stay out of the heat). We decided not to go to the beach today, but I took the kids to the pool this afternoon. Jason got to play golf with my brother and my father this afternoon, it has been about five years since he has played, but I think he had fun.

I will post pictures when I get home. I am only taking advantage of my father's laptop to post this entry. We are heading to our "home" for the week tonight and will enjoy some do-nothing time!

Perfect!

I never know what to expect to find when I go thru the kids backpacks after school has ended. Last year I got a preview of what was left in Tavis' desk.

This year it was about the same, Mollee had a lot of keepsakes from the year, that she has stashed away in various places in her room so Mommy can't throw them away. Tavis had a lot of junk, unfortunately, not the remaining library book that he had checked out. And Daegan had everything organized in seperate bags, along with a Father's Day gift that he is holding onto until the appropriate time.

As a surprise, in Mollee's folder, I found a "Perfect Attendance" award that she had gotten on the last day of school. Never expected that for one of mine kids, but I thought it was worth mentioning!

Mama Jo's Pool

I promise not to blog everytime we go to the pool, but we are hoping to make this a Friday activity during the summer. Pool time at Mama Jo's (a neighborhood friend) with the Harris'.

Trying to get a group picture, with sun in their eyes.
Turning around without sun in their eyes. Great minds and/or cousins, think alike (picked out the same swim shirt)At the pool a break for lunch!and then we hurried home because of thunder!

Craft Time!

We ventured to Hobby Lobby this morning in search of some crafts for summertime.

This afternoon, we painted ceramics!Mollee painted a red cat with purple spots! Daegan painted a rocket ship!
Mac, of course, picked a train!
Capps meticulously painted a multi-colored dragon!Tavis painted a rainbow lemur!Jason always wonders why I do these things to myself, but the kids loved it and I'm fairly sure I had fun also!