Spring Break 2012 Part I

A long, long time ago (about a month, actually) we took our annual Spring Break trip. Sorry, but Blogger has made some changes and uploading and moving photos has been maddening!

But, I'm a fighter, so I'm battling through. :)

After our trip to Destin, Florida last spring, we knew we had to return this year. The beaches are soft and white, the town is built up but not too much and the water is the most gorgeous shade of green this green-loving girl has ever seen. (Apparently, it's because of the quartz under the water.) We even stayed in the same resort, just two doors down from the condo we stayed in last year.

We had a wonderful time! And, we know where we are spending Spring Break 2013!

Here are a few pictures from the first few days. I put some from later in the week on here sometime!



Michael posing on his first day at the beach. He loved the beach much more this year and wasn't too afraid of the waves.


Of course, my little mini me loves the beach just like her mama.



 
 


 We made lots of sand castles, of course!


The great idea of burying Taylor in the sand lasted all of about 10 seconds. They did find a different victim later in the week. Details to come...


The three amigos. Mike - a pool guy, not a beach guy - was converted later in the week.

Aren't they cute?

We couldn't get enough of the hot, Florida sun that first day, so we hit the pool for awhile before showering and headed out to dinner.

  
Some pictures from before, during and after dinner at Pompano Joe's. It's right on the beach and only about 1/2 mile from our condo.

I miss this view!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Basketball Party

I'm trying to catch up on blogging!

Taylor's basketball team had their end of the year pizza party the last week of March. The girls got to go into the kitchen and make their own pizzas. Rubber gloves and aprons for everyone!

Taylor, Kaitlyn, Jada, Delaney and Jenna. They were missing three girls.

They chose to sit away from us parents. Too cool for us already!

It was a fun season and Taylor just loved her teammates (and I loved the other parents!). :)

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

March

Yes, the title of this post is simply "March." Because people, let's be honest here, I'm a slacker and only update about once a month these days. So, "March" it is. :)

It's been crazy warm here all winter, but especially so the last few weeks. It's been shorts and T-shirt weather and this little heart of mine couldn't be happier. You won't hear me complain about the heat. All four of us love to be outside!

Flying kites outside on a beautiful winter day! We did it all that day - kites, soccer, basketball, tennis and even busted out the ol' bouncy house.

Michael was excited to get his own kite this year. Notice that the string is all tangled up. That's because I reminded him that he needed to hold on tight to it or I'd be chasing it down the street. Of course, he tossed it into the air right after I said that. He loves to get reactions these days (good and bad!). Love that kid.

Look how high Taylor has her kite! Like everything she does, she took it very seriously so she could do her best. Love this kid, too!


Both kids enjoy balling in the street now. We lower the rim to about 8 1/2' and Taylor shots just fine on it. Michael can make shoot and make his small ball on it! Here, Taylor is dribbling around our neighbor. She is my kid so I am biased, but she is really good for her age! Same goes for Michael, who is currently a big Larry Bird fan. He shots and says "Bam" every time he makes it. Hilarious and we have to get it on video.

World's cutest double team.

This post is completely out of order chronologically. Sorry!

We dyed Easter eggs today. Lots and lots of Easter eggs! We had a good time with it, even Michael who doesn't have much use for arts and crafts.

She could have colored 100s of eggs if I'd let her.

Despite the fake smile, he did have fun.

See? Haha...

Mike has been working on an improvement project the last week or so. What do you think it was? New lighting in the foyer? Fresh paint around the doors? Working on the landscaping? Uh, no.

It was this:

Do you remember Taylor's pink and purple Barbie jeep? It's now the Steelers mobile! I think a little part of Mike wants one for himself.

The full effect. Yes, that's our garage.

I'm tired, it's 11:42 and I want to watch a little NCAA hoops, so the rest of this post will be mostly pictures. Enjoy!

My typical lunch crowd. A few things to note: 1) Yes, they did save me a seat. 2) Michael is eating peanut butter crackers, which is out of the norm. He eats PB&J sandwiches almost every day. 3) Michael is drinking out of a beer mug that changes colors when it's cold. The kids always fight over who gets to use it. Michael loves that it's all his when Taylor is at school.

Larry Bird, baby!

Snack after an indoor soccer game.

Snuggling on a lazy weekend morning.

Taylor and one of her buddies at the school art school.

It's hanging in our dining room now. :)

Self portrait in the car. Hey, at least I'm not driving.

My little hoopster. She's done really well this year. Runs the offense from the point, plays tight defense and scores a lot for her age group. She even had 12 points one game! To give some perspective on how cool that is, our entire team scored six points in our first game.

Just too cute.

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Senior Night 2012

Well, another basketball Senior Night has come and gone. I sometimes wonder if all of these finales will someday have me prepared enough that I won't be a sobbing mess when it's my kids' time to walk out on the floor one last time. Nope, I doubt it. Gah, it gives me shivers just thinking about it.

Mike has two seniors this year, both outstanding young men. Taylor and Michael adore both of them and we are all sad to see them move on. I'm sure both Deondre and Adrien have bright futures ahead of them. They will be missed!

Coach Washington, Coach Berlin, Adrien, Mike, Deondre (or "Ondre" as Michael calls him), the Worm and the Pear. :)

Without David, but a little closer.

I've made Senior Night shirts for the kids every year since Taylor was a wee one, just eight months old. Look back at other Februarys in the archives to see more!

Showing the love.

I think Taylor has hit a growth spurt. She looks waaaay taller than Michael again.

As you can tell, I finally replaced my camera. I found a great deal at Staples and picked up my new baby today. So far, I like it and the pictures!

My little buddy. :)

Doesn't he look old?

And her, too? Those front teeth are almost all of the way in now.

Couldn't resist posting this cute shot my oldest baby.




I make sure it could take self portraits.


Off to dreamland for this mama.

Until next time,

Mommy Kel

Happy 2012!

Sad that it's February 10th and this my first post of the year! My main reason for that? My camera is broken, so no pictures. Gah. So, this will be a boring update with no pictures. Just use your imagination folks.

The kids are both doing well. We've had a few stomach bugs invade over the last week and all of us have been hit at one time or another. We are usually a very healthy household, so it takes us all by surprise when even one of us is sick. No fun.

Of course, we've has fun this winter, too. It's been incredibly mild this winter (I say this as it's snowing outside right now, but that is the exception this year). We are able to get outside and play almost every day, which keeps us all happy. I work in the mornings, then Michael and I usually spend the afternoons playing baseball in the backyard, walking Champy or riding the tricycle - Michael, not me. :) He loves to work on "homework" too and now knows all of his uppercase and lowercase letters, about half of the sounds, recognizes most numbers up to 100 and can write his name. I've also slipped in a few sight words and he catches on quickly!

Taylor is over halfway done with 1st grade. Wow, time flies! She loves school and does very well, earning nothing less than an "outstanding" on her report cards. She's also playing basketball right now and has made her dad proud by winning the defense award in her first two games. They have her playing mostly point right now and she already handles the ball better than I did in eighth grade. Hey, give me some credit, I was a post player. :) On Sundays, she plays indoor soccer with her club team, the Wilmington Heat. They aren't practicing right now, but she still enjoys running around each week. Her U8 team is playing in a U9 league and some of the teams are really good. It will just make them better.

Mike has been busy with basketball and is now preparing for the sectional tournament. His young team is 7-10 now and has been in every game. Not bad when you have two freshmen and two sophomores in your top seven players! They are going to be very good in the next few years. It's a very likeable group, too. Reminds me of lots of the Wabash teams back in the day. Mike spends his spare time watching the Celtics and playing basement games with the kids.

I'm still loving my current schedule, a great balance between family and work. I write for a wonderful school furniture company, www.SCHOOLSin.com. I spend Wednesdays in the office and the other days, I work from home (mostly early morning before the kids get up). My coworkers are awesome and I look forward to seeing them on Wednesdays! I also love being home with Michael during the day. Wouldn't trade it for anything right now. It's funny how things work out sometimes. Outside work and the kids, I keep myself sane by running or working out.

I promise the next update will include some pictures. I might go camera shopping this week. Hope everyone is well!

Until next time,

Mommy Kel