Native Plants/Butterfly Garden 5/22/06

I am continuing to work on my garden. I attended a seminar about Native plants, so have decided to add several to my Butterfly Garden. Of course, I have two excellent helpers. I believe they like to make mud pies, more than mulching. Sophia does a good job mulching. The only thing left for me to plant is a Palm. I want a Queen Palm. I am still searching for just the right size.

Playground Time

Now that Emma has graduated she is opening an ice cream store, at the "Sandy Park". For a few shells, you can purchase any type of frozen delight! Sophie favorite is still the slide. Paige wants Dick to push her higher. She wants to brake her all time record, and she is well on her way. Paige in a more serious moment. Trying to decide which piece of equipment to try out next.

Dick's Visit to Florida 5/20/06

This is my Florida "T" that Dick bought me while here. Now I feel like I fit in with my "jeweled T" Dick really enjoyed the Spa, it felt good on his bum knee. He actually just laid around for 4 hours. I couldn't believe it! He has never been able to do nothing for that length of time, of course I do believe he read the entire Sunday New York Times, cover to cover.

Emma's Graduation 5/18/06

Father Bridges addresses the Graduation class. Sophia and her Dad toast to Emma's continued success as she continues her education in public kindergarten in the Fall.

Fires 5/15/06

Aunt Stephanie was very concerned about getting to the airport on time, she made it after a quick stop at Tortilla Flats for lunch. On the way back, we saw plumes of smoke. It was at our exit. Lucky thing, we were able to get off and go home, which is about a mile from these pics. Everyone else was diverted from Rt 95 thru town, over to Rt 1. We have been dealing with fires for more than a week, but this is the closet it has been to home.

Mother's Day

Steph and I had the girls for a sleep-over, while their parents, went out for some well-deserved adult time. Sophi woke up early, but the Dunkin Donuts soon arrived. We headed for the Beach about 9am, to beat the crowds.I had bought Emma and Paige little surf boards, so they decided to try them out. Emma is catching on pretty quick. Sophie kept asking "where is mine". I tried to explain that when I bought them last fall she was still a baby. Now she is 2, so I will buy her one on my next trip to the Surf Shop. When we got back, while the girls napped, we took a Mother's Day Lounge by the pool, before we went out for dinner.

The Best for Last...All Good Things must come to an End

Sophia seems to be well schooled in this party protocol. Why not she has been to 5 birthdays, just counting her sisters and the Schrader Boys, who all celebrate birthdays all within a short span from Thanksgiving to New Years. Aunt Stephanie was here to help with the organization, thank goodness. Miguel the Pool Guy cleans up the pool after all the party goers have left. (He and Melissa are a big help with the pool maintenace.)

Sophia's Pool/Birthday Party

Everyone seemed to congregate to the Spa. Maybe because the water was 98 degrees. People in Florida, I discovered don't like to go in the pool unless it is > 89 degrees. My solar panel had been mal-functioning and the pool was only 83. Sophia enjoys being the center of attention, and she must have a little Virginia blood in her to withstand the 83 degree pool. I thought about how we would go to VH pool on the first day "Memorial Day" regardless of the Temperature, we would jump in and stay until dinner time.

Sophia's Party Prep 5/13/06

Sophia gets dressed up in her new bathing suit. Emma was trying to demonstrate how to be gracious when accepting gifts, but Sophia has a mind of her own, and is not about to let Emma boss her around. Sophia gets a big stick to show Emma that she means business.

Party#1 for Sophia's 2nd B'day

Sophia had a practice run tonight when we arrived home from Universal we had a small gathering for Brownies with candles & Ice Cream. Afterwards we watched the demise of Bad Girl Power, when she was doused into a bubble bath.

Face Painting

Paige selected Good Girl Power to be painted on her face. Emma selected Bad Girl Power. Emma is a pro at having her face painted. She is a Drama Queen, so she was very willing to sit still for as long as it took for the lady to finish. She had purple lipstick with glitter. She was very concerned that it would come off before we arrived home, and her Dad wouldn't be able to see it. She asked every 2 minutes if it was still on. Of course the ride was longer than usual due to the Brush Fires along RT 95 we needed to take a detour. Paige was also excited about having her face painted, and behaved very well. This was the last thing we did before we left the Park. I think the girls had a good time, I know I did.

Super Heroes Galore!

Today we stayed to watch the Super Hero Parade. They all drove their ATV's up Main Street, then posed with everyone who wanted their pic. Mo was so Happy to be with Wolverine. Emma really was excited about posing with Storm, Cyclops, and whoever this other Super hero was. Sophia was delighted th share her Cat in the Hat with Spider Man. Paige was a little terrified of Spidey, but as long as she held onto one of my legs, she felt secure.

Universal Park...Here I Come..5/09/06

Here we are in Universal.....Dr Seuss Land. Grandma bought Sophia a Cat in the Hat to drag around for her Birthday. Then we went to visit 1 thing and 2 thing, for some reason this was the only character that Paige would pose with. Sinbad put on quite a show with all his jumping and saving the Princess. The girls really enjoyed this show, even if we were in the "Splash Zone"

If it is Sunday it must be DUNKIN DONUTS

When I am in Florida, the girls like to have a "sleep over" on Saturday night. Usually, we get donuts for a Breakfast Treat the next morning, so they have begun a sorta of tradition. The first Sunday I came down, I told them they would need to eat their fried eggs before they cold have a donut. Sophia, looked at hers, I believe she may eat scrabled eggs, or she has seen her Mom eat Fried Eggs. So she was willing to give it a chance. Emma was a bit more cautious. Since we couldn't remember if she had ever had eggs, except to find the ones the Easter Bunny left, she refused. Paige was willing to try if it meant she could then have the chocolate donut with sprinkles. Then they began to take little bites, not too bad! Eventually Emma tried and discovered that it really was a "Gummy" Fried Egg that Grandma bought at the Amish Market. So I just had to capture this moment when my grandchildren were eating eggs!

I bought Mo a new bathing suit as a belated B'day gift. She tried it out in the pool. She is really getting her "Swim Team" figure back. The pool is now heating by the solar panels. Now if the Squirrels will just not eat/tear the panels,maybe the pool will heat up enough for Paige. It was 83 degrees when I left last week. I belive Paige likes it about 90 degrees(water temp) Emma goes in regardless, this day I believe the water was 73. She is trying to set up the floating/sliding board for her Mom