Random Catch-Up Post

I was in Michigan with the kiddos for 3.5 weeks.  It was DELIGHTFUL!

The weather was blissfully cool...with low humidity.

We enjoyed LOTS of family time.

Phil was there for the middle ten days of our visit...

although part of his time was spent on the annual "Brother's Trip."

 Working on "I in the Sky."

Isaac and my dad really bonded.  They went for walks all over the neighborhood,
and Isaac reached for him more than anyone else.

 My little boy hasn't learned, however, that Papa's sport's page is SACRED.  He was almost written out of the will for tearing it up before Papa read it one day.

 I didn't see nearly as much of Clare because she was always on an adventure
with someone else in the family.

 Although I did go on a paddle boat ride with her, 

and she enjoyed swimming in Fremont Lake.

 Mema, Ninnie, and Clare went on a ROAD TRIP to the other side of the state to support the 3-Day breast cancer walk.  Check out Ann's blog for the details on that adventure.

 "Where's Waldo" was definitely the book of the vacation, 

and Clare learned memorized where Waldo was on EVERY page.

 We Skyped with Daddy when he was back in Florida.

Of all the FUN that Clare had while we were in Michigan, I think that she would say that seeing her cousins was the BEST part.  She LOVE, LOVE, LOVES playing with the cousins, and it makes us sad that it only happens a few times a year.

 We had to snap a few "full family" shots while we had the opportunity...

because they are few and far between.

Many more random pictures to come.

D3 - FISHING

D3 = Daddy-Daughter-Date

I don't know who is more excited about this new adventure.

 Daddy and Clare started fishing together when we were in Michigan.

 They both had a GREAT time...

 ...and they even caught several fish!

 Clare kept asking to go fishing with Daddy, 

and that was a date that he couldn't turn down!

 He even let her wear his "brother's trip/fishing hat."

Now that we're back in Florida, the fishing is a bit different!

 Our neighborhood is right on a lake, but you have to pay for access to the launch.  We've lived here for 4.5 years, but we've never been on the lake.  My parents and sister surprised Phil with a lake access/membership gift for his birthday,
and it was actually a gift for all of us!

As I type this, Clare and Daddy are out on the lake for the very first time.  After picking out her own fishing pole, loading up the boat, and packing her favorite snacks, she was SO EXCITED!  I have a feeling that there will be many more fishing D3's in their future.  :)

3 Years and 9 Months

Clare turned 3 on August 13th.

It was a fun day...
complete with Monster Toast (where you get to paint on bread before toasting it), cake (which was a bit of a fiasco), a "Cartoon Walk" through Fremont's Industrial Park (that's a story all in itself), going to the movie theater for the VERY FIRST TIME, AND getting SICK.

Eating her Monster Toast

Winnie the Pooh was one of the characters on the "Cartoon Walk."

We ended the walk in front of McDonald's, 

and that is where the birthday girl decided to have lunch.

The cake, another interesting detail of the day, did not end up the way Mommy planned.
Clare decided to sample it before it was frosted.
Therefore, the 9x13 cake had to be cut down to a 8x8 revision.

She didn't mind the revision.

We decorated the cake for Clare and Lauren
who was celebrating her 18th birthday.

The day went VERY WELL...  

until the sweet birthday girl got sick on the way home from the movie theater.

She proceeded to run a temp. of 102 degrees, and she threw up twice.  That only slowed her down for a few minutes, and I don't think she'll remember that portion of the day.

At Clare's 3-year appointment, she impressed her doctor with her "concise and clear vocabulary" as well as her "good manners."  She weighed 33.2 pounds (50th percentile), and she was 39 inches (90th percentile).  That's our girl!  :)

Isaac is now 9-months-old, and it's hard to believe that he's been outside the womb longer than he was inside.  SLOW DOWN TIME!

He's happy-go-lucky.

He giggles at the littlest things...especially his sister.

He LOVES going for walks with Papa.

He is finally starting to swallow solid food without gagging.

He has seven teeth...with another one on the way.

He's still an army-crawler...but he's FAST and EFFICIENT!

He weighed 22.1 pounds (75th percentile),

and he was 29.5 inches (90th percentile).

That's our boy!

My Boys

I just LOVE these pictures.

 And I LOVE these boys!

Who Knew Fiber One Could Be SO MUCH FUN?

Do you like Fiber One?

I have tried SEVERAL Fiber One products over the years.  I add the original Fiber One cereal to my oatmeal in the morning, I nearly always carry a Fiber One granola bar with me, and I really like the Fiber One yogurt.
Until recently, I hadn't tried Fiber One's new 80 Calorie cereal. 

 Thanks to General Mills, with MyBlogSpark, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to try this new cereal for FREE!  I LOVED IT!  Seriously, I will buy it on my own as soon as this box is gone.  Not only did they send me the cereal (which I've sampled dry, with milk, AND mixed with yogurt), they also sent a pedometer
and a case for a phone or music device.  NICE!

Check out this nice gift.

Would you like to try it as well???

MyBlogSpark.com has offered to send one of these Fiber One gift packages
to one of my readers.
Just add a comment on one of these questions:

- What do you do for breakfast that helps keep you full?

-What are your favorite sources of fiber?

Thank You, MyBlogSpark and General Mills!

Check out the Fiber One Website: http://bit.ly/FiberOne

Fiber One's Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/F180Cal

There Were Six in the Bed...

Why are there six people in this bed???

After several years of having an old, mediocre bed, my parents bought a new fancy pants one.  It has dual adjustable frames, a Tempurpedic mattress, and a built-in-massager.  NICE!  Needless to say, we've been like little kids playing in Mommy and Daddy's bed. 
I omitted the picture of Phil and my Mom on the bed...
for fear that it could start some saucy stories around town.  :)

Silver Lake and Mac Woods Dune Rides

We had a fun day as a family last week.  We drove up to Silver Lake and enjoyed the dune rides...all seven of us.

 It was a very windy day, so the sand was spitting at us during the ride,

but we still had a BLAST!

 My little Snuggle Buns fell asleep...despite the bumpy ride and the flying sand.

 My big Snuggle Buns made a goofy face upon being kissed by his bride,

so I decided to publish it.

 As always, Clare LOVED the water more than anything else!

GREAT, GREAT DAY!!!

"Clare in the Air" AND "I in the Sky"

If you've followed our blog for any amount of time, you know that our children learn to "fly" as soon as they have trace amounts of neck strength.  We have SEVERAL "Clare in the Air" pictures from the last few years. 

Clare would do this ALL DAY LONG, but it's getting harder and harder to toss 33 pounds in the sky repeatedly.

Now we have "I in the Sky."

Our little Isaac loves flying as much as his big sister.

 This one is a bit different...but it kind of fits the theme...

"Eyes Like the Sky"