More vacation pictures-

This picture may be a little de ja vue to some some of you...does it seem like you are back in New York?



Just thought this was a funny picture of someone's sandy feet-



Ellie's favorite part of the resort....pirate ship time-



We weren't there 5 minutes and already had our first boo-boo-

Nice shot of Daddy and the kids-

The bartender took one of all of us-

Then Daddy took one of me and the kids-

Another favorite activity...jumping off the platform in the lagoon. Although I had a hard time getting a clear shot (need a new camera), I thought this was a pretty funny shot-

Ellie looks terrified in this picture...wonder if she was having flashbacks of the jellyfish that Daddy and Jacob saw which really seemed to freak her out-

Daddy losing ground as they swam out to the lagoon. Todd said it was a good 20-25 feet deep around the platform-

Just a shot of the opposite end of the lagoon where I was sitting-

I had a really hard time getting a good shot of the dolphins. Again, need a new camera...mine just wasn't quick enough to catch them jumping out of the water.

The firepit where Daddy and I sat while the kids....

played in the pool-

A liked this picture of the kids standing outside the resort-

The "Lucky-Ducky" game that the kids played at game time. This is the resort worker giving them instructions-

Then she threw out the ducks and said "Get ready, get set.....

GO!"

Looking for the lucky winner....duck #21-

A few more shots of Ellie's favorite spot-

I loved this little palm tree. The little coconuts would fill up with water and then topple over on whoever was walking by-

The little playground for Ellie-

Okay, I think that's going to be it for now. I will try and upload some more later.

Great times, great memories!

Key West Pictures

I just thought I would try to upload some of these vacation pictures again, but blogger is still being a pain in the butt and I'm frustrated since it's making me upload one picture at a time, so the pictures will have to tell the story.

Pics from the Southern most point of the US. It was a little overcast, so probably not the best sunset I've ever seen, but it was still a pleasant evening out.

This is one my favorites because of the sailboat in the background-

America, America...

God shed his grace on thee...

Happy 4th, Everyone! and...

Happy Birthday, Uncle Paul!

XOXO

Oh yeah-

I forgot to tell you about our little incident immediately following our wonderful parasailing experience. So as Jacob and I were relishing in our adventurous endeavor, we met Todd and Ellie back at the dock, went to check out these HUGE tarpon fish that Ellie was feeding and then headed back to the truck. Within seconds after I sit down in the truck, Jacob starts screaming and crying hysterically. As I look over to see what's going on, all I could see was the top part of his hand crushed in the truck door. Todd had shut Jacob's entire hand, from the knuckles down, in the backseat door. Yes, I probably panicked a little because at the moment it seemed as though Todd was moving in slow motion as he reached for the car handle, plus it tugs at my heart strings seeing either of my kids in such distress. Luckily, it turned out that he was/is okay. If anything, I think it just scared the crap out of him.

On a brighter note, here are a few pictures from our night at Key West:

(sorry, but I've been trying for 2 days to upload these pictures to my blog and for some reason it's not letting me do it. I guess I'll have to post these later.)

We are now in Coral Springs for Jacob's baseball tournament as our vacation starts to wind down...sigh. It's been an amazing week and I highly recommend Hawk's Cay for anyone looking for a little relaxtion along the Gulf or the Atlantic. The kids found it pretty amazing that they could walk out the back porch and climb a tree that sat on the Gulf water line, yet walk to the lagoon and swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Other than the night we went to Key West, we never even left the resort and we had plenty of activities to keep us entertained from dusk to dawn...we will definitely be going back again.

Well, I guess we'll be heading back to the Fort sometime in the afternoon on the 4th.

Happy Friday!

WE DID IT!!

Believe it or not, folks, I actually convinced Jacob to go parasailing with me today. He's becoming a little more daring the older he gets. Honestly, it wasn't that hard to convince him because he was, surprisingly, pretty willing to go. All morning I kept debating....should we go or should we not, so I decided to call and get the details. The funny thing is when I called they only had one opening left for the rest of the day and that was at their 1:00 sail...guess what time I called? 12:45! At that point, there wasn't much time to really think about it, so I made a quick decision to reserve our spot, grabbed our stuff and we headed down the street.

Everything was good at first - Jacob was a tad quiet, but in his world that simply means he's a little nervous. There was a sister and brother going before us and the young teen boy was asking Jacob a lot of questions about baseball (he had on one of his baseball shirts), but all the boy could get out of Jacob was very short, one word answers. Although a little afraid and apprehensive, all was good until we got in the boat and I, foolishly, asked the captain, "how high do we go?" As soon as Jacob heard, "oh...about 350-400 feet," he started to get really nervous. He wasn't quite in panic mode, but you could tell he was more nervous...."What? 400 feet?" Plus, it didn't help when the young girl before us came back looking as white as a ghost and feeling sea-sick. The guys on the boat were great...they were laughing and joking with Jacob trying to lighten the mood. All in all, I have to say Jacob surprised me and handled it very well.

I only wished we could of gotten pictures. I have to admit 350-400 feet is pretty high in the sky and even I was a little nervous. By the time we got back to the boat, I thought they were going to have to peel my hands off the bars you hang onto because I had a death-grip on them. I did get to see some sea turtles and a shark.

I believe Jacob enjoyed it, but I do think he was expecting something maybe a little more fast paced. It was definitely a very quiet and serene experience high in the sky, and one I'm glad I got to experience with my favorite little guy.

XOXO

You may initially believe...

you are in South America when you see of these walk by, even if you are laying by the lagoon in Key West, FL...







and Momma's baby-



or perhaps sailing the ocean and you see one of these jump by-



Yep, we have iguanas walking the lagoon just as if they belong there and dolphins jumping in the water in the dolphin encounter right next to the lagoon. Crazy...

We spent most of the morning playing in the lagoon and relaxing by the pool. We just came in to take a quick break and eat some lunch, now it's off to the Indies Club for a little slipping and sliding on the Pirate ship and some more hot and sweating basketball fun.

XOXO

What a fabulous start...

to our vaca at Hawk's Cay in Duck Key, FL. There is a lot to do here. I'll try and get a lot of pictures posted, but it's late and I'm exhausted after an afternoon full of activities, so this post is going to be quick and consist mostly of our villa. A post full of activities will follow later...

A few outside shots of our cute and charming villa:

The family room as you enter the front door:

The kitchen is to the right as you enter through the front door (me taking a shot from the stairs):

The master bedroom:

The view/porch outside the family room sliders (there is also a porch outside the master suite, and the spare room):

This is a little path in between pools and play areas...it's very nature, kind of tropical looking:

One of many pools to swim in:

And a really cool firepit out by the lagoon and pool:

There is so much to see and do here. We've been here since late afternoon and I've already taken a ton of pictures, but I'll have to share the rest a little later. However, here are a few of my favorite shots from the day.

Jacob doing what he loves best:

A cute shot of Ellie at the lagoon. They loved jumping off that platform in the middle.

And, to end the day, a cute shot of my two favorite little people looking like they actually love each other (and I didn't even have to tell them to do that):

Wonderful day...I wonder what tomorrow will have in store. I'm thinking a little parasailing with my favorite little guy. We'll keep ya posted, but so far, so good! Wished you all could be here to join in the fun!

XOXO,

J

Hi-ya! Pow! Oof! Ouch!

Today my Mom took the kids to see The Karate Kid movie and once again they decided to do a little karate chopping and kung fu on each other in the pool...


need....



I....



say......



more......





Poor thing! She lost one this morning as she was wiggling it loose and her brother karate-chopped the other two out in the pool. She's a little self-conscious about it and had a difficult time eating her ice cream at snack time, but she's just as beautiful as ever!

I think the tooth-fairy is going to go broke tonight.

Good night, all!

Really?

Did my oh-so precious little boy, who at one time was called "Boo," just really turn...




12? Seriously? Will I really have a teen in t-minus 349 days? Oh my stars...someone please stop the clock!

I so love you, Boo!

Once again, I'm a very proud Mommy!

There she is...the little girl I'm so proud of as she received her exceptional award....Citizen of the Year! The day before she attended another ceremony where she got an award for "Greatest Overall Academics." I can't even begin to express how proud I am of her. Ellie has weathered a lot this past year and a half, but despite that storm, she is a miracle that never ceases to be miraculous. She is everything wonderful and precious and my love for her, as well as for my son, has no boundaries.

Ellie, you are so dynamic. You are such a

beautiful;
intelligent;
thoughtful;
sweet;
resilient;
loving;
caring;
goofy at times; and
fun...

soul who I am lucky to call my daughter. You are full of beauty and will forever be beautiful - just truly amazing.

I once read a quote that said, "A successful person is a dreamer whom someone believed in." I believe in you, Ellie, now spread those wings and soar confidently in your own sky...whatever that may be and whereever it may take you. You continue, day after day, to make me so proud to be your Mommy!

I love you, sweet girl!

In training for the next Karate Kid-

I wanted to take the kids to see The Karate Kid movie today, but I was bummed to learn it isn't even out yet. Jacob and I were watching a preview of the movie this morning and then a short time later as the kids were swimming in the pool I heard them talking to each other as they trained for the The Next Karate Kid movie. All it took was a pool cleaning pole and a little imagination and they were occupied for a good hour.

I was watching them through the window, so I quickly grabbed a few shots before they decided to get out.

I've been a little busy, so I haven't had much time to update my blog. However, there are a lot of activities and events that I need to post about, so stay tuned...

Enjoy your Sunday!

On our drive home today...

Jacob is sitting in the backseat with his friend, Bradley, as he initiates a conversation about a sex-education class that he had in school this week.

Jacob: "Mommy, we had a class on AIDS in school this week."

Me: "Oh yeah, and what did you learn?"

Jacob: "To postpone adult activities."

Such a polite and political way to put it...

Bradley: After a little giggle, "what does that mean?"

Me: "Jacob, do you know what that means?"

Jacob: "Yes."

Bradley: "Well, I don't, but I don't think I want to know."

Too funny!

Sunday Fun Day!

It's our first Sunday in about a month that doesn't consist of baseball, whether just practice or a game, and what do you think we've decided to do today? We are going to take in a Sunday "Family Day" Mets game....more baseball!

We were just sitting by the pool this morning taking in the morning sun and breeze when the kids decided they would take their first spring/summer dip in the pool. Well, Ellie has jumped in a time or two this spring, but it was Jacob's first official swim. I decided to get the camera out and take a few pics.

The kids were playing around catching water balloons as Todd threw them in the pool and this is my favorite shot of the day - love this photo! You will have to double click the picture to get a good look...it's pretty funny:

Just a few other random shots...







And finally, as much I'm sure the kids love these shots, I made them sit still for a few short seconds to take a brother/sister shot:



Off to the Mets game... Have a great Sunday!

XOXO,
J

According to Jacob, the 80's are back!

He asked me for $.50 the other day so he could buy a pair of glasses from his friend. It was one of those things where I heard him, but the question kind of went in one ear and out the other, but yet I still forked over the $.50.

Well, this is what my $.50 bought...



He wanted to wear these glasses to the ballpark this morning, and I was like, "really, Jacob?" Here I am, the Mom, the who should be happy that her son doesn't care what others think, and I'm trying my best to convince him to leave them in the car.

Me: "Come on, Jacob, they are pretty dorky looking."

Jacob: "I don't care....the 80's are back, Mommy."

Jacob swears all the kids at school are wearing these and even "the high socks are coming back." Well, this is all according to Jacob anyways...

These are some of the things I remember from the 80's....

neon or paint splatter fashion

parachute pants

the "Madonna" look

stirrup pants

leg warmers

and....

jelly shoes

friendship pins

acid-wash jeans

big bangs or feathered hair

scrunched socks (usually two pair on each foot)

and maybe the 80's - Miami Vice - Don Johnson - sunglass look, but not so much the stylish eyeglass wear above.

That's my son...gotta love him!