Birthdays, Lemonade and Handsome Fathers...

There's not a whole lot that I didn't like about last weekend.
Family.
Cake.
Sunshine.
Ice Cream.
Celebrations.
Pie.

Did I mention... there were a lot of dessert's?

And what's not to like about that? Well, except, of course- it reminds me that I really should hit the gym a few extra times this week (or once... yeah- that'd be good). Which also reminds me that last time I did go, I had to enter in a new (ahem...) larger number when the Precor asked for my age/weight. I'm talking about the AGE, people- not the weight, thank you very much! Though, I find it all circles back around again to the desserts- and I just may, indeed, find myself entering in a bigger number for both next time I go.

But even so, it was worth it- every last bite of Culver's ice cream cake. Ummm.

My favorite celebration this weekend was celebrating the men I love...
My "first love" (my Daddy)...

And the LOVE of my life (my kids Daddy)...

I'm pretty sure there are a whole lot of good dads out there, but I'm also pretty sure that my kids have been blessed with the creme de la creme. Watching this man with his kids is like watching your favorite chic flick movie over and over again.

It's safe. It's cozy. It always makes you smile. It never gets old.

And It always makes you feel good.

Oh, how I LOVE this man!

He's devoted to these children with every fiber of his being.

He delights in them.

He prefers being with them and spending time - just being their Daddy- over everything else this world has to offer.

I was lucky enough to have that kind of Daddy when I was growing up...

And now I'm married to the same kind of extraordinary man.

And in return, they are all just as crazy about him. You've never heard bigger exclamations of, "Daddy!!!!!" and seen bigger tackles than when Dad walks in the door from a business trip.

As a show of adoration, Ariana wrapped up her prized tootsie roll for her Dad and presented it to him on Father's Day. She proudly presented her gift. Watched, eyes wide and smile beaming as  he opened her gift.

And then, right after I took this picture - had I kept clicking away- the next shot would have been of her reaching her palm flat open and asking her Daddy, "Ok, can I have it back now?"

Yes, this weekend was bathed in celebrations... one right after the other. Birthday parties (more than just mine, Father's Day, Lemonade stands...

OK- so the lemonade stand was more like a celebration of being young and adorable enough to stand with your glass tip jar on the side of the road anxiously waiting for people to not only drive by, but to stop and get out and make your entire day.

So, here's to looking adorable...

And here's to being brave enough to wait on the side of the road with your glass tip jar for cars to drive by...

...and stop...

...so you can serve them lemonade.

I love summer weekends.

When it's sunny.

And there is dessert.

And a little lemonade to wash it down ;)

What plans do you have for this summer weekend?

Leveled...

Once upon a time there was a Mom who wanted to relive a beautiful childhood memory with her family. She thought about it all day, imagining every last little detail perfectly in her mind even down to visions of walking hand in hand with her handsome husband and her children blissfully skipping down the sidewalk in front of them excitedly racing towards the playground that she, herself, had played at as a little girl.

She counted down the minutes to 5 o'clock. As soon as her husband logged off his computer they'd be off, smiles and anticipation already packed and ready to go.

The clock ticked 5 PM and though the anticipation and excitement was packed- that, unfortunately, was all that was ready to go. Her dog needed to be fed and let out, her kids needed to be corralled from racing around the house and the babies diaper bag was lacking the essentials. Still... her glorious plans would not be hampered!

Her family managed to get buckled safely in the van and (eventually) they were on their way.

(Yes, that's the family right up above. Not, of course, buckling themselves into the van- but at the daughters piano recital the week before.)

Though delayed, she was still hopeful! They would soon arrive at the pizza place by the beautiful lake her Daddy had taken her to countless times during summers of her childhood. They'd eat pizza, drink pop from a bottomless pitcher and then walk just as she'd planned (parents holding hands, kids skipping with glee) along the shore until they reached the playground where they'd swing their kids and watch them slide until the sun sprayed golden across the water.

The drive seemed to take forever. Everyone was hungry. Tired. Crabby. She tried desperately to subdue everyone with mantras of "2 more minutes" for the last 12 minutes of the trip.  

As the family rounded the corner anticipation was built up- "we're almost there, guys!"

And then...

They WERE THERE!

The pizza place, however, was not.
It had been leveled!
There was nothing there but flat, black freshly laid rock.

Images of pizza and pop and everyone (in slow motion) throwing their heads back laughing at each others silly stories over dinner were being replaced by the real sounds of kids whining, the baby's hungry cries growing louder and the Dad's frustration at the crowded streets (The Mom might have even heard a few "moron!" (s) muttered under the Dad's breath as they tried to navigate their way through jammed traffic and oblivious pedestrians crossing the road).

Where would they eat? More importantly- WHEN would they eat? The Mom (so adept at planning) had made no Plan B. Dad turned the corner and kept driving, the kids kept complaining and the baby kept crying.

The family continued on down the road. The Mom was sure the night was ruined. She told the Dad he might as well drive back home. If home had been closer than 30 minutes away, perhaps that's what he would have done.

But they ended up at another pizza place - (15 miles) down the road and the Mom found a coupon to boot. Said pizza place even had outdoor seating... things were looking up.

Family ate and left and remembered a fabulous park just down the street from the pizza place.

Turns out, kids were skipping after all!

Heads were throwing back with childhood delight.

Mom's vision of her babies in swings were coming to pass. Different swing- same delightful giggle. Music to her ears...
 

They were having fun.

FUN!

So they weren't at the park at the lake. But they did make it to a park. And the kids were happy and swinging. And the parents even did hold hands, when their hands weren't busy holding their babies.

Though the Mom had thought her plans- like the pizza place building- had been completely leveled, it turns out the new journey they ended up on was just as good...

... if not better.

And the Mom was reminded, once again, that it's not about how well your "plans" turn out - it's how you play the hand you're dealt.

And that even when we think our plans - all these glorious plans we love to make- have been leveled... there is beauty, joy and unique treasure to be found in places we never, originally, "planned" to look.

Nature

The Big (and then even BIGGER!) Reveal!

So, for those of you who were dying to know what this little treasure is, here is the big reveal...

A baby sea turtle egg!

Now, I wish the picture above was my own. Wow, that would have been SO cool. But I snagged the image above from the web. The egg picture above, however, is mine. Where we stay, it is sea turtle haven! Unfortunately, it is not nesting time- which is from May-October. During that time, it is not uncommon to run across a mama sea turtle nesting or her babies scurrying out to the sea after hatching.

What we ran across, up above, is the remnant of a little sea turtle that hatched. The shell is now dried and hardened and almost resembles a sea shell, if it weren't totally round like a ball (which might be hard to tell from the picture)

As I was saying the other day, my Mom being here has been a bit of a good luck charm. We ran across the sting ray, the baby shark, the sea turtle egg. And then... and THEN... would you believe we ran across THIS!??!

It is not a dolphin, though I realize it resembles one. It is actually a whale called a Beaked Whale. She was 15 ft. long and 2,000 lbs. Beaked whales are deep water whales living 50+ miles off shore rarely seen by humans. So, for this beautiful gal to find herself beached was quite an extraordinary event. So extraordinary that it ended up on every major news channel in FL. And so extraordinary that Orlando news interviewed me since I'm such an expert on Beaked Whales and all.

Okay, I'm not really an expert. I didn't even know there was such a species as "Beaked Whales" until this amazing event occurred. But I happened to be a bystander with my family and I suppose having my cute little baby boy in my front carrier pack sealed the deal for the interview. ;)

The whale came to shore alive around 3 PM on Tuesday. Believe it or not, this occurred about 100 ft. out our back patio door. Our neighbor and his buddies tried to push her back out to the ocean (which I later learned is the worst thing you can do... so, note to all of you readers who may run across a beached whale- remember- don't push her back!) Anyway, they did get her back, but she beached again and was alive on the beach struggling for about 45 minutes until she finally perished. The scrapes you see all over her are actually from the breakers slamming her back down to the bottom when she was close to shore. That's actually why marine specialists tell you not to try to push the whale back because it actually adds to their suffering when they get slammed around and beach the second time... once is bad enough... twice, even worse for the poor creatures.

Early the next morning a team of Marine Biologist came and performed a necropsy on the whale right there on the beach to determine what caused her to come so close to shore and die. The kids and I walked back a few hours into the necropsy, but didn't stay long because it was quite gruesome. They actually buried the whale right there in the sand on the beach.

This was a once in a lifetime experience. Not one I am soon to (or ever!) forget. I feel so privileged that I was able to see and touch such a spectacular animal up close, though of course I wish it had not been due to the poor little ladies demise.

It was an amazing experience and I'm so glad my kids were able to experience it as well.

I don't know about you, but I think I've seen (and eaten) enough turkey to last me until- well- next Thanksgiving. So, instead of posting pictures of turkey and people eating it, I think instead I'll talk about what else we did this weekend.

Those of you who know me, know that I am most definitely an outdoor person. Think of the word that's the opposite of love.... that's how I feel about winter. So, as long as we're still able to be outside without seeing our breath, you are sure to see our family squeezing every last moment we can out of fall.

And there is no better place to do that than at my Dad's house (aka "Papa").

I used to try to try to tell him that I had a better backyard because we live on a pond. But then our pond dried up. So much for that. We had the pond- but he's always got the view.

And not only does he have an amazing view of the river valley, but all sorts of interesting wildlife frequent his yard as well. Wild turkeys, deer, bald eagles soaring over the valley. Okay- so I never really thought our yard could compare in "coolness" to his, but it was fun to try to compete. Now if you saw our "view" you'd laugh. A dried up mud hole with a few weeds poking through here and there. But I digress...

Not only does Dad have the view- but he's also got the toys.

 Not toys as in, "miniture Escalade's that kids sit their lazy butts in, push the battery operated "go" button and tool around the yard in".... no... toys as in "you need to use your own strength to make it go" kind of toys.

He's got ropes to climb on.

Ropes to swing on.

Swings made out of rope to soar in.

I can't forget the zip line. Yes, I said- ZIP LINE. He actually has a zip line hooked up in his yard. It's fun. I've tried it. As a matter of fact, I think sometimes the adults have as much fun (if not more) than the kids do on it. You should hear us elderly's squeel with delight... "weeeeeeee!!!" Too bad I didn't take a picture of it. Maybe next time.

And if you're not in the mood to be playing with or on some sort of rope, there's a bucket full of footballs, softballs, sticky mitt catch balls... you name it.

The kids have a blast when we come to Papa's.

Unfortunately, not everyone is able to play outside. When the weather is too brisk, some have to stay inside and watch longingly from behind the glass...

But if you're really super cute, you're Mama just might feel sorry for you and bundle you up nice and bring you outside with the rest of the gang.

Now we're talking.

Ahhh, that's better!

Mother's Day!

We don't have a ton of "traditions" in our home, but one that we DO have, and that I've been come especially fond of, is Mother's Day morning. For the last 7 years, Mike has made me a delicious breakfast of crepes, scrambled eggs & toast and brought me breakfast in bed. That's saying a lot, considering that he just doesn't cook.... other than that one morning a year!

After breakfast, we usually read the paper, get the kids ready and go for a hike. Though I'm normally a church goin' girl on Sunday morning's- it has become a tradition for us to go hiking because I really cherish and covet that time alone with just my children and my husband- but we also get together with my own mother and sister every Mother's Day afternoon, as well.

This year, we headed out to the Arboretum. Though it started out chilly- within an hour the sun came out and the weather turned glorious!

Here's a picture of my little family. Not bad, considering that it was taken the self timer of my DLSR! Perhaps not a perfect shot- but usually none are when you are trying to get 5 people in the same frame... all looking the same way and smiling!

The kids had a blast playing on (what we have come to call) the "Stick Park." It's a whole play area for kids to explore outdoors and the only things to play with or climb on are all made out of logs and wood. The kids LOVE it! Mike says- if we lived on 20 acres, he'd build us a stick park. That makes me laugh because he's not, what I'd call, a craftsman by any stretch of the imagination.

We also headed through the shrub maze. What a wonderful place for the kids to explore! You've gotta watch out for those big kids racing through - but all in all, it's the perfect game for the little ones...

I sure love being a Mommy. It's not always easy- but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Hope you enjoyed these pictures! This will likely be the only post you'll ever see with so many pictures of mwaaa in them... since I'm always the one behind the lens. But because it was, ahem, MOTHER'S DAY- I insisted!