At the beach...

We went to a beach about an hour from my SILs house when we dogsat that week. It was a beach on a bay so the water was not deep and extended a long long time before finally getting deeper. It was perfect for my kiddos who aren't comfortable in the water. At first, my hubby took them in the water. They looked like this for about five minutes...shirtless.



But, of course, we have light skin and burn easily so I dressed them back up. Yes, we were the only ones with a toddler in long pants and long shirts, lol! But, as long as he didn't burn, I was ok with that!



My preschooler really enjoyed himself too in the water.



My hubby and I looked like this practically the whole time...laying on our stomachs in the water on kid level watching them play and blow bubbles in the saltwater. The water was nice and warm...perfect! I didn't realize until later that even though I was lathered in sunscreen, I had forgotten the back of my calves (which were exposed unfortunately while I was doing all of my soldier crawling.) But they were ok after a day or so. I had been to that beach before a few years earlier and had forgotten how much fun it had been...I'd can't wait to go again next summer.

Trying to clean...

I've been trying to clean up my kid's room. They have way too many toys from their siblings, nephew, birthdays, garage sales, rewards...the list goes on and on. These toys seem to accumulate and I think they reproduce each night because every day, there seems to be more and more toys. I have been trying to organize their room and make it more accessible to play (and I'll take and hide some toys in the attic until later to make more room as well.) Each time I go in there to clean, miraculously, they each need to follow me and see what I've uncovewred even though they were completely happy doing something else in another room. So, consequently, the room has not been cleaned even though it's been a work in progress for many days, lol! Last night, I saw that my toddler was interested in what I was doing, so I quietly left and let him play (instead of cleaning in there.) I came back in there 30 minutes later (he was just too quiet for such a long time) and saw this cute scene. The picture doesn't actually show all the cars he had arranged. I was impressed that all his vehicles were in lines and all faced forward! It's a new day...and I'm starting over...we'll see if the room gets done today.

Aquarium trip

I had been wanting to go back to the aquarium since I saw Julie's post. Since we had been so far away from home, we thought we'd go see a different one for a little while. We got there and one of the first things we saw was the huge area of those large fish and mammals swimming around. I was in heaven watching them swim around and could have watched for hours.



Lovely stingrays. But unfortunately, some nice lady told my preschooler that downstairs was an area where he could touch the stingrays...so we hurried through some great areas to find the elevator to go down to see them....sigh.



I feel like I skipped so much and wasn't getting enough out of the high rate of admittance in there by having to hurry through to find the stingray pool but after we got there, and patiently waited for it to swim close enough around to tough it finally, it was worth it (because my preschooler was on cloud nine!)



DH loved the dolphin area as did I.







We had a lovely time, albeit short, but I think it'd be great to return in a couple more years as well (to see the stuff BEFORE the stingray pool, lol!)

Back from Dogsitting!

My SIL at the bay went out of town and requested that we dogsit for her. She has four dogs who need lots of attention and specific needs. We were happy to help out because of so much she and her hubby have done for us as well as being able to enjoy their house/yard while there. We were there for a week and had a great time.

This is a pic of my hubby pointing out a bird on the pier for the dogs (they love to run toward them and have never caught one.) This pic shows three out of four dogs. Luckily, SIL didn't leave her foster dogs for us to watch as well (she volunteers for the local dog shelter and often has foster dogs that live with her.)


The kiddos loved playing in the whale pool!




And my preschooler learned to lay down in the water without getting water in his nose (something he hates.) He kept getting in this position!


The wildflowers down the road were gorgeous (I don't think the pics show how pretty they looked as you drove by.) This pic has some cows in the background that my preschooler insisted I have in the pic.

Hubby's Birthday

My hubby's birthday was a couple of weeks ago. He was at work offshore when it occurred so we celebrated it when he came home. On the morning we were to celebrate it, he woke up to a surprise birthday cake made by our daughter during the night (strawberry with strawberry icing.) I had planned on making a cake he really liked that day but decided against it after seeing she had made him one. At some point during the day, I mentioned to him about not making the other planned cake and he remarked that strawberry was his favorite. I was surprised to hear that and asked him about it. He then said that his favorite cake is one that his children made for him. And then he said that it wasn't about the gift, it was about the giving. I smiled really big...that's why I love him.

This is him just before we celebrated his birthday.


Here is most of us who were there. The daughter who made the cake refused to be in the picture...she's still a teenager, lol! My other daughter's boyfriend (on the left) cooked all the chicken for us. My brother and his kiddo is on the right. Of course, my boys are in my hubby's lap.


Here is a pic just before he blew out the candles (it's not really on fire...it has four and then nine candles for his 49th birthday.) I sneaked a pic of our other daughter sitting on the counter behind him (the cake maker.)

Bike riding

Yesterday was the first day that my preschooler and I went bikeriding together on our own bikes (without training wheels.) My toddler was in the front bike seat watching everything as well. Last year, he started riding his bike without training wheels (he had been riding with only one wheel after the other one broke for a long time.) He seemed interested in riding so I got my bike out, pumped more air in the tires, and off we went! He was really good at listening and staying on the right side of the road. His little bike is small but perfect for beginners and he feels confident enough now to even try a few tricks. He was so cute standing up as he pedaled when he was going fast. It's hard to imagine he's five years old already. It was so enjoyable and there was little traffic so I asked if he wanted to go further (to a nearby park where there was a little trail) and he was excited. By the time we got there, we were sweaty and took advantage of the mushroom looking thing that sprays water down as we rode our bikes through the water making us a little less hot. We had a great time and he is going to want to even more often now (I just wish it weren't SO humid because it makes the hot weather seem so much hotter...but that's summer here.) Today, we went and bought bike helmets (we couldn't fine his yesterday) and now all three of us have them.

These make me happy...

Melody over at Slurping Life hosts SOOC Saturday every week! SOOC stands for Straight Out Of The Camera image. It's simple, just post a picture you took(without editing it) and tell us a little bit about it! This week's theme is what makes us happy.

This is the time of year that the daylilies bloom in our yard. My husband cares for these throughout the year and knows all the varieties and names. I just think they're pretty.

Company picnic

Last weekend, we drove out of state to my hubby's company picnic. It was a really nice event and we all enjoyed the food, entertainment and activities they provided. As soon as we arrived, we immediately went paddle boating (and were the first ones to do it.) This is a pic as we got started.


My toddler didn't quite know what to think of it at first. Of course, I didn't even notice his dirty fingernails until I looked at the pics the next day, lol!


Yep, I enjoyed it too.


Hubby readjusting his sunglasses.


My preschooler's favorite activity was sliding down this slide. It was so hot that they added the water hose to it and it was very slippery (and lots of fun!)


My toddler preferred to walk around the trees in a circle, over and over. ??? It was really hot that day! However, my toddler insists on wearing long sleeved shirts. Since he is very pale and hasn't been exposed to a lot of sun, I figured it was a good thing on this day.


This event was held at a private function facility so it was well shaded in many places and had a pool, inside rooms with a/c, miniature golf, basketball hoop games, horseshoes, volleyball, sack races, bingo, jumping inflatable thing for kids and lots of food and slushies. My kiddos LOVED the free slushies and drank lots of them!!


Later on, everyone else rode the boats again and I stayed and took pics while they floated around. I realized at some point while waiting that my hubby was allowing my toddler to enjoy a short nap.


Even after parking the boat, my toddler still didn't wake up. He was totally out and was tired! It was an awesome day! Good thing we had lots of sunscreen on. I had to get just one more pic.....and then I picked him up.

My yard....

...is beautiful this time of year.

This is like a secret garden. We made this arbor about 7 years ago and the jasmine has really overtaken it making the whole area smell awesome.


A closer look.


A bird landing on one of our birdhouses.


A plum tree.


A ripe plum (this pic was taken by my brother.)

Coyote Sighting

I live in the city limits but there is a wooded area near where I live too. A few years ago, we noticed a pair of coyotes a couple of times...then a few years ago, there was only one. It travels on a little wildlife trail (made by whatever animals go back and forth on the back of our property to the adjoining drainage ditch where there is water.) The last time I saw it was right after my last son was born a couple of years ago. I recently saw it again. I was able to run out onto the porch and take a picture of it from afar. It trots fast only at the back of the yard and goes to wherever it lives in the woods, never into our yard or around us.

We used to visit a relative who lived in a rural county hours away from us. The coyotes there ate the livestock and were a menace. When one was killed, whoever killed it would hang it upside down on their wooden fence so that everyone else could see (as I assume it was their common practice to show that there is one less coyote out there.)

I don't normally see much wildlife like deer or coyotes where I live, but when I do, it's wonderful...



edit to add:
Check out Melody at SOOC (Straight Out of the Camera)
http://slurpinglife.typepad.com/

Robert Frost and home

I have always loved the poetry of Robert Frost...probably because I remember my mother reciting poems by him when I was young. I used to listen to some of his poetry on cassette tapes (back when I had a car with a cassette deck.) Since the one I liked doesn't come in CD version, I recently bought a CD of his poetry that is actually read by him. In both versions, one poem always stays close to my heart, "The Death of the Hired Man."

In this particular poem, a hired hand who has worked for a couple for many years during harvest time (and had eventually become old and not very dependable) returns one last time (looking very poorly.) Even though the man had a brother who lived close (but had not spoken to him in years), he returned to this place. The poem is like a conversation between the man and woman and the woman described why the hired man returned there, instead of his brother's house. She says...

“Warren,” she said, “he has come home to die:
You needn’t be afraid he’ll leave you this time.” 115

“Home,” he mocked gently.

“Yes, what else but home?
It all depends on what you mean by home.
Of course he’s nothing to us, any more
Than was the hound that came a stranger to us 120
Out of the woods, worn out upon the trail.”

“Home is the place where, when you have to go there,
They have to take you in.”

“I should have called it
Something you somehow haven’t to deserve.”

I've thought about this poem over the years...when relatives/adult children/etc come around and want to stay or when those close to me have similar things happening around them, I think of the circumstances and relate back to this poem.

It'd be nice if everyone in the world had some place they could call 'home' to return to in times of need or confusion.

SOOC: Pigeon up high...

While sightseeing at the top of the Empire State Building last weekend, I was quite surprised to see one pigeon! (this is my daughter in front of it as she's sending a pic via her cellphone)


I couldn't believe it was able to get up so high (we were on the 102nd floor observatory where you could stand there and feel the wind.) While I'm definitely afraid of heights, being up there didn't really scare me...until I reached out a little to use my camera/cellphone to take a picture and then it dawned on me just how high it felt...my stomach got all tied up in knots and decided I didn't need any more pictures.


What a brave bird!


See more SOOC Saturday posts here.

Riding the subway in NYC

Last weekend's trip was a nice change. While sightseeing in the big city, we rode the subway a lot. Normally, I follow my bff who lives nearby but she wasn't able to meet us so we tried it alone. It was at first a little overwhelming (especially since I couldn't see the little maps to follow those colored lines) but got the hang of it (and learned to just get off and look at the bigger maps to double-check the routes.)

It was so interesting to people-watch and see all the different people who ride the subway. On one ride, a man who was the building maintenance supervisor from the Metropolitan Opera sat across from me (he still had his nametag on.) He was sketching on a pad. I was thinking of how many concerts he had attended via work or the people he's met through his job. How cool that would be!! I was wanting to get up and see what he was drawing too because he looked like he was being very detailed in his drawing, but I didn't.

On some trains, there were quotes on the wall. I thought a lot about this one.

A year ago today...

...my mother-in-law left her home and has never returned. She was transported via ambulance to the hospital due to the paramedics thinking she were mentally incompetent. Interestingly enough, I saw her every week for years before then and, even though she seemed forgetful, I thought those instances were due to her age. She was 86. Her other signs of Alzheimer's were so similar to her personality (negativity, calling several times about something, becoming aggravated over something small) that even I, the person closest to her, didn't see them.

Since that time, she has continued to deteriorate mentally to the point where she doesn't know her family. She has no friends (they're all deceased) and the closest relatives (us) are very familiar to her but she doesn't realize we are related. She just knows she has a positive, comfortable feeling about us. I don't think she remembers my big girls but she loves playing with my little boys. If it weren't for the boys going over and playing with her, I wouldn't know what kind of conversations to have with her.

I took her some new glasses today. Her last eye test was about five years ago. She broke her glasses a few weeks ago so I had to take her to get another eye exam and then order some new glasses (two pair, just in case.) The lens of the broken glasses have still not been found. She just wore her broken ones until I brought these new ones to her today. They were a little different, but she didn't even notice. In fact, within a minute of having them on, and the broken ones out of sight, she had no memory of anything related to them.

We've requested assistance from the VA (my FIL was in the Navy during WWII.) It took eleven months to process her claim for aid and assistance (which could provide up to $1056. a month.) We have just received one check finally for that amount. However, they propose to declare her mentally incompetent and want to appoint a fiduciary (someone to take care of that money they'll be sending her.) Well, of course, she can't take care of her money, that's a given. But the process in which this is done with them takes an average of 12-18 months. When they actually start that process, the monthly funds will stop until the claim has completely been processed, and then when it is finished, they'd then send the accrued amount during the processing time. Is that not crazy? Meanwhile, she will be in a deficit of $1700 a month.

Her money runs out in a month, maybe two...I'm in the middle of writing one of those letters to send to the remaining children of hers (my husband's siblings.) I am carefully choosing each word on paper before I email them to beg for monetary assistance to keep her in her expensive assisted-living facility where she is most happy. If she is in a nursing home, with her unique personality, she'd become abused or neglected by the personnel. She has a certain way about herself....luckily, the staff where she is now have learned how to handle her and what to expect from her. I want to keep her there and am crossing my fingers that whenever I send this request out, that one of them will find some nest-egg to keep her safe in her little tiny room until that day in which she moves on......

Close to the ground.

This week, I found cute little magnifying glasses at Target (I just love the front dollar section.) I bought one for each of my kiddos and they've been exploring outside ever since. The toddler seems even more interested than my preschooler in discovering little bugs and treasures in the yard. I even went back to the store and bought about twenty for my preschooler's teacher so she can have them in her repertoire of cool stuff. Luckily that was a good idea since she normally borrows some from another teacher...now, she doesn't have to.

I tried to help my toddler find little things to look at but never found any. I did notice that he found these bugs. I guess it's because he's so close to the ground.






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An afternoon in Houston

This past week, the boys and I traveled to Houston to visit a friend whose daughter was in the hospital. We were going to also visit another friend but they became ill so we had extra time. Beforehand, I packed a lunch because I knew we'd be hungry at some time. After my preschooler got out of school at 1pm, we headed out.

It was a couple hours away so the kiddos had a nap along the way. I just pointed the camera behind me while driving while watching the road (that's why it's off-center.)


The medical center is full of many hospitals that line this really long street. It was a little scary to drive in the traffic because it was unfamiliar territory and because there were so many things to see while trying to find the correct hospital (I had never been there before.) I finally found the hospital and then I had to drive around again to get to the correct parking lot. After visiting our friend (where I forgot the camera in the car), we had a picnic in a grassy area of a park. It is a huge park next to the zoo and museum district.


Then we went to find the train depot. There is a lengthy train track that surrounds the park and we walked and walked and walked looking for it.


It was later and we barely made it there and got to ride it before it closed. The zoo was still open though (for another hour) so we went on in. It was the perfect time to be there...on an afternoon on a school day near closing...no crowds.


And we rode the carousel twice (we were the only ones on it!) My preschooler was incredibly happy to find this particular animal to ride on...the raccoon...because his 'lovey' is a small raccoon named Ricky and he knew by riding it, it'd make Ricky happy!


After the zoo closed, we played on a huge hill near an amphitheater. The boys ran up and down it for about thirty minutes.




And finally, as it was nearing dusk, we played near the long pool thing watching ducks. Of course, the kids wanted to get as close to the edge as possible and put their hands in the water. Next time, we'll bring bread for the ducks.


For an unplanned event, we had a great afternoon. We spent just enough time playing around and visiting the zoo and park that we missed all the traffic and were able to easily make it home without any delays.