Pictures of Ethan

Look at that face! Ethan takes his "battles" very seriously. He even got Congress involved in the last battle he told me about.

I love this boy! It has been so rewarding watching him grow and mature from a little boy who wouldn't even let his father hold him to an independent young man ready to take on the world. Until he was about 4, I was the only one he wanted. A TRUE momma's boy. BUT all that has changed in the last few years. Ethan and dad are making plans to go see some new Star Wars movie together. And guess what!! I am not invited. I love that he loves his daddy so much now, but I have to admit, my feelings are hurt just a little. I used to say that he would be the one to keep me out of nursing home. I had him pegged for someone who didn't stray too far from home. But I was SOOOO wrong. He'll make sure I have a good nursing home. But he is not going to hang around and feed me my jello. He's going to go find adventure. And I won't hold it against him.

Watching them grow....

is a wonderful experience.....

Is it laziness or ingenuity??

John figured out how to spread lime on the lawn without having to push the spreader around the yard. He attached it to the back of his Gator somehow and just drove around the yard. Only had to get out and walk long enough to put more lime in the spreader. Which reminds me.....I talked to a landscaper about grass. The options for grass here are perplexing. They are all bad choices. You just choose which one you don't hate the most. Really. So, I was telling the landscaper I want St. Augustine. That is what I had in Texas. Loved it. That, or something like it, is what I want here. His response?? You're not in Texas anymore. Great, thanks! He did suggest some kind of grass that we may like. Ya know, the $800 a bag kind. BUT, he also suggested we wait until fall to plant. So, we are preparing our dirt yard now for planting in the fall. The builder put grass in, but oddly enough, it died right away. We have a few brown blades left, but mostly dirt. If it weren't so ugly, and I weren't so embarrassed of it, I would post a picture.

A monumental moment

Buying shampoo with Emily. I know, it doesn't sound like a big deal, but this time it was. All 8 years of her life I have been picking out her shampoo. And she likes having the same kind that mommy uses. And on this day, she wanted to pick out her own. I didn't know what to do with myself. I did enjoy watching her look at all her choices, though. Very entertaining. And this is the lucky winner. Because it had the best smell and the best colored bottle. Nevertheless. I think it was a monumental moment for her too. She felt more grown up. Where do the years go?

Baking cookies

She's getting them ready to go into the oven. I love that girl! We have some of our best talks in the kitchen. We went to the movies last night to see the American Girl movie. Very fun! I liked watching Emily watch the movie. Which is hard to pull off without her noticing. Hey, who painted that beautiful kitchen??

AND, I just noticed..I do NOT have a picture of Ethan in this post. I'll fix it. Don't be sending me dirty emails.

My New Piano

It makes me so happy to play. Don't play very well, but it makes me peaceful. And now John, Ethan, and Emily can start taking lessons again. Only Emily is very excited about it, though. The man who tuned it is lovely. An experience all it's own. He has lived in this area all his life. Gave him a cup of coffee and he told us all about growing up in this area. I love to hear stories from older people. Okay, except for the grouchy complainers. And I have finished painting the kitchen, finally! Well, I do have a couple of little touch up areas, but I'm calling it done. Today, I am working on the music room. Formally known as the dining room. The color is called surrey beige, but it is like taupe. I love it. More pictures to follow.

And I love that rug it is sitting on. John brought that home to me from Iraq. A very special present. After I get it all decorated, it may be my favorite room in the house.

Emily's Handsome Prince

We have officially ordered him.....as you can see.....he is not due to arrive for another 15 to 20 years. Or never, if you ask dad. That was at the aquarium. We had a lot of fun there.

I'm just going to bombard you with pictures. I want you to see everything we did. Well, I say that. Blogger is having a hard time loading them. My stupid broadband card is on the fritz. I'm using WiFi. I thought that was supposed to be FAST. Not out here anyway. I guess I will have to load them one at a time. It seems to like that much better.

The pool where you can touch the sting rays. Only John and Ethan were able to convince themselves to reach down there and touch the animal that killed that guy. The crocodile man. What was his name?? Steve something. Somebody help me.


What handsome boys. Aren't they the cutest?


We got to "dig" for shark teeth. And I'm telling ya, it was work. The teeth they put out there for us to find are tiny.


We got to watch a diver in the big tank where the sharks are. That was fun. She talked to us through a special microphone. Not a very good picture. I am trying very hard to figure out the ISO and the flash thing to take better low light pictures. Sigh....one day.

It was a fun trip. Good times. I have a lot of updates to post. I think I will make several posts today. I have several pictures I want ya'll to see. I have my piano. Tuned, even. Love it! Want to show you a picture of that. And some other stuff I can't remember right now. You'll see.