Yogurtology

 The greater-Tampa area has been exploding with new ice cream/frozen yogurt establishments over the past few years.  As lovers of frozen dairy, and supporters of our local economy, we have made it our personal mission to try all of the new places.

This, Yogurtology, is probably our favorite!

 They have TEN unique flavors of SELF-SERVE frozen yogurt and a topping bar with over 50 amazing toppings.  You name it, they've got it! 
It's a fun, "Create-Your-Own" experience!

 Clare tends to go for the fruity frozen yogurt (combo of watermelon and strawberry) with every sugar-loaded topping you can imagine (Fruity Pebbles, marshmallows, sprinkles, Nerds, and gummy bears).  Notice the orange gumball next to her arm.  You will see that as a wad in her mouth in the following pictures.

 Isaac will eat anything that we're willing to share!

 Don't let his face in this picture fool you.  He was having a GREAT time.

 Case in point!

 There's the gumball...

 ...and the Cheese-balls!

If you're ever in the area, plan on joining us for an evening of frozen delight!

Let's Go Fly a Kite

  On Sunday, Father's Day 2012, 

Phil said that he wanted to go to the park to fly a kite with his kiddos. 

Clare has been wanting to do this for a long time, 

but there hasn't been much wind...or the timing just wasn't right. 

 Unfortunately, the wind still wasn't great for kite flying, but everyone had fun!

Little snippet of the kite in flight...

 I know it wasn't Mother's Day, but it brought ME such great joy watching the interactions between my biggest love and my littlest loves.

 Isaac was more interested in keeping the little gnats from flying in his ears, so he was just ran around like a crazy boy.  Nothing new, I suppose.

 Clare was just the opposite.  She wanted EVERYTHING to do with the kite and flying it.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a very child-friendly kite, but she stayed very involved the entire time.  Again...nothing new, I suppose.

These little munchkins are our greatest joy,
and their lives are blessed because of their father...Daddy!
Phil has a natural gift when it comes to parenthood.  He is creative, fun, spontaneous, patient, goofy, interactive, consistent, wise, and simply meant to be a leader.

Happy Father's Day, Phil!

What is CAMPING?

This was Clare's first week out of school, and we kept telling her that she got to go to camp after school was done.  By this, we meant SCHOOL CAMP.  

Considering that we've never been "real" camping, we didn't even think 

that Clare imagined she would be doing camp like this:

Staying in a tent...with a bonfire...

 ...and roasting lots of marshmallows.

In reality, her week looked a lot more like this:

School setting, crafts, friends...

and lots of activities with the theme of SPACE.

Clare's Daddy, a lover of REAL camping, wanted to help her experience camp 

outside of a classroom.  This is what he crafted!  

A tent, bonfire, and marshmallows...right in her OWN ROOM.

 She was THRILLED beyond description!

 Nice work, Daddy!  Very impressive. 

 He tore down her bed and nightstand to make room for the tent and bonfire.

Naturally, right?!  :)

Clare had a skewer with marshmallows, 

and I think she really expected them to roast on her pretend fire.

 This is my idea of camping in Florida...in an air-conditioned house!

 Our little peanut slept like a bug in a rug on her very first camping adventure.

Now if that isn't FANTASTIC, I don't know what is!

Down But Not Out

It's been a rough year for us.

From Clare being sick for what seemed like an eternity (sinuses, tonsils, ears, etc.), to unexpected house repairs, to several technological mishaps (crashed hard drive, hacked email, etc.), the last thing we need is for Mommy or Daddy to be sick.

Unfortunately, Phil has spent the last four months feeling like he's in the midst of an ongoing sinus infection.  He had sinus surgery last week,
and this is a glimpse of his current medicine regime.
In the last seven years combined, I've never seen anything close to this. 

As always, he has a positive attitude.  Even with a deviated septum, messed up sinuses, and new-found allergies that are going to result in years of allergy shots,
he remains on top of his game!

 There's no time for being sick...even when you're feeling sick.

SO...onward march!

 Here's to GOOD HEALTH from here on out!

Beat the Heat

It's been HOT lately!

Sure, we live in Florida, and heat is to be expected.

BUT...it seems like it has been exceptionally hot this year!

Phil decided to clean out the shed, and that project came with two guarantees:

1. Clare would be his "helper."

2. No shirts allowed.

 As with most projects, things have to get worse before they get better.

Can you believe that all of that junk fit in the shed (a.k.a. "Man Hut")?!

 It wasn't long before the little guy had to join in the fun.

While I wasn't crazy enough to organize the shed, 

I did attempt to go out on an evening run...outside...in the heat. 

 At 7:58 PM, it was 91 degrees...

Yeah...that didn't last long.  The run, that is.  

The heat, however, is still here.

Fun News and Sad News

Fun News and Sad News...

(This post is dedicated to Ms. Tracy.)

Fun: Clare had a field trip last week.  Her class went on a train ride along the Gulf Coast of Florida.  Even more special than that was the fact that Daddy got to ride along with her.  The trip happened to be on his day off, so he joined her for the fun! 
She was BEYOND excited!

Sad: Our computer (the nice, big, fancy Mac...that I've raved about since the day we purchased it) crashed this week.  Down.  Out.  Bad! 
It's "in the shop," but we have no idea what will be recovered. 
Unfortunately, these are the only surviving pictures of the field trip. 

I'm doing this post on our dinky, little netbook (a.k.a. SLOW and PAINFUL), but I hope I'll be back on the blogosphere again soon.