With all the medical garbage I had to deal with the past year, the veggie garden was pretty much the last thing on my mind. Well, I finally got fed up & made a little trip to home depot to check out the available plants. Picked up a few things that looked good & Tommy cleared my little garden out for me to get ready for the haul!
Naturally, as soon as we started talking about planting, Rachel insisted on getting dressed and helping her daddy in the garden!
When all was said and done, Rachel & Tommy planted Banana Peppers, Cantaloupe, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green Beans, Tomatoes & Watermelon. I sure wish I was able to get down & dirty with them, but at least I got some cute pictures! LOL...
Oh, and no sooner were they back in the house for a cool drink when Rachel wanted to know if she could go pick the vegetables! Took a little bit of time to convince her she will have to wait till they GROW!
Our latest fun is that Rach desperately wants Penny to sleep with her. Whether it's nap time or bed time, she pleads with me "Can Penny sleep here with me?" I have to keep explaining to her that Penny will cuddle with her for a little while, but that I'll leave the door open in case she decides to come in or out during the night... the result is poor Penny getting put into a sleeper hold every day! LOL...
Stuck my head outside & realized just how hot it was out. Well, guess it's time to start jumping in the pool again! Margie & Ness came by with Baby James to take Rach out for a bike ride. We decided after they went around the block on bikes and then had lunch, it was a good time to swim. Ok, so I forgot the fact that the air may have been sweltering hot but the pool water was... well... NOT... it was FREAKIN COLD!!!! Glad Ness had more guts than me & was willing to get all the way into the water! It always amazes me how the kids don't seem to notice the cold AT ALL!!!
It was the first swim of 2011. Too cold for me, but our little fish was more than happy to put up with the chilly waters... She is an expert as long as she's wearing her floaties! LOL... she actually swims the whole pool really well! Good thing, since we had to throw all the pool toys into the garbage after they died from being in the hot Florida sun!!
Oh, and just take a look at the goofy grin on this kid when she is happily swimming!
Time to wrap up & dry off... I think she was so tired she would have fallen asleep like this!
And of course, after a good hard swim, there is the mandatory "Baby Cheese" snack!
So it started out that Mom asked if we wanted to go to Olive Garden to use the gift card they gave us over the holidays... Next thing I know, we are getting a table for 12 !!! Well, it turned out to be a really nice evening! The kids were both great, and the food was as yummy as ever. I am hopelessly hooked on their Chicken & Gnocci soup!
Most of our crew. Mom & Dad, Margie & Charlie, Baby James, Linda & Tony & Tom & Rita! We scared the staff when we walked in, I think!
We had 2 people waiting on our group... BUT... one was beastly & we actually complained to the other one and he ended up taking over the whole table... perfect!
Mom was already testing out her cruising hat! (They are leaving for their vacation in the morning!)
Today was Dad's Bocci Picnic. Rach had a blast playing on the slide & swings with "Luna Linda" (we still can't figure out how she came up with that nickname for Linda!) & her Papa too!!!
Believe it or not, it was PAPA'S idea for the two of them to put their heads in the holes!!! I even have proof on video of him telling us of his plan!
After the picnic, we went home for a little bit of a nap! Then it was time for an evening bike ride with her best bud Baby James!
These 2 are just way too adorable together. They give each other the cutest hugs & kisses! But Rach tends to boss James around just a bit!
After just a couple of evening rides, she is now a real little expert!
She even knows to move onto the grass to wait for passing cars!
So Rachel just came up to me this morning & said she wanted to do more "Work" at getting her picture taken (For those who don't know, she had one modeling job a month or so ago for a boutique, and was not terribly cooperative when it came to taking those pictures!)
Well, she only wanted to pose for me and take a few fun pictures, so, we did!!
She had fun & was ready for more... it was time to pack up & join Aunt Margie, Nessy & Baby James for a picnic at Four Freedoms Park! It was a great way to spend the afternoon! The kids had a blast playing on the playground, and of course, they LOVED their peanut butter & jelly sandwiches! So did the local wildlife!
Since Thursday was St Patrick's Day, we decided to have our big Boiled Dinner on Sunday (so we could all enjoy it together, instead of leftover!). Margie & Charlie came with their grandson James, and Mom & Dad came too!
Dinner turned out totally yummy, if I must say so myself! Tommy also made a delicious "Kitchenette Cake" from one of his antique cookbooks.
Rachel was SO glad to have Baby James over to play with! She was so happy, she even let James drive her car, and thanks to Aunt Margie they figured out how to turn the car into a 2 seater!
Our happy little couple had their own special table, and enjoyed eating together. Rachel was too funny, playing the little mother, telling James to eat his dinner. I should have James over more often! We didn't have to fight with her to eat half as much as we usually do for dinner! After all, she had to set a good example, right? Haha
Today we spent some time with Aunt Margie & her Grandkids, Baby J & Christopher! Rachel had a blast, playing under the hose and running around with the boys. She also did the cutest thing and thank goodness I got in on video! Baby J was getting a little rough with his little brother, and made him cry. Well, Rachel does NOT like to see anyone crying... so she went to Christopher to console him... watch the video & you will see the cute moment!
The kids had a ball while Margie squirted them with the hose. The boys were climbing in & out of that bucket... Rach didn't want to get THAT wet... LOL...
Ok, time to teach my daughter about the rules of being a GIRLIE girl... This AIN'T IT!
Rachel's first car date? I don't THINK so! LOL...
Ok, so maybe she was having just a TEENY bit of fun, huh?
Besides playing on the lanai, the kids were running around in the yard, playing with as many toys as they could, and playing hose with Aunt Margie! Rachel refused to take off her sneakers & socks (she actually listened to me for a change!! ) so her little feet were a bit pruney by the time we got home, but she had way too much fun to care!
Every month, I get together with an awesome group of ladies, and we have our "Meeting of the Minds". We generally do something special around Christmas time, but this year because of all the garbage with me going up north & just the timing in general, we decided to have a special ladies night at the Melting Pot restaurant. They have a Ladies night every month, so we decided to splurge just this once... we had a BLAST. I arrived a wee bit late, since I had to drop the munchkin off at her Nana & Papa's house, but I arrived in plenty of time to enjoy the first course of standard cheese fondue!
Nancy even won a door prize of a bottle of wine! WOOHOO! (She tried to get them to exchange it for her favorite White Zin, but they couldn't... oh well)
Kim & Rita enjoying their Dark Chocolate Dessert fondue. Nancy shared with them, while Donna & I went to town on the WHITE chocolate... YUMMMMMMMM.... we both agreed the fresh jumbo Strawberries were the best!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Just a few random shots... Spread over a couple of days... yes, it's cheating, but I keep forgetting to update the blog, so this is an easy way to share a few of the latest details!
Here is our little ball player... she has recently decided she wants to be more like daddy, so she wants to wear a hat all the time! just too cute!
We are the proud parents of a beautiful little girl. I have not stopped smiling since the moment they placed her in my arms. We adopted her Sept 2008 and it's been nothing but wonderful! She is the best reason to open my eyes every day! Currently living in SW Florida. I've also become a MAJOR Twilight junkie, so now I'm told I'm a TWI-MOM & I LOVE it!
Since Thursday was St Patrick's Day, we decided to have our big Boiled Dinner on Sunday (so we could all enjoy it together, instead of leftover!). Margie & Charlie came with their grandson James, and Mom & Dad came too! 
Every month, I get together with an awesome group of ladies, and we have our "Meeting of the Minds". We generally do something special around Christmas time, but this year because of all the garbage with me going up north & just the timing in general, we decided to have a special ladies night at the Melting Pot restaurant. They have a Ladies night every month, so we decided to splurge just this once... we had a BLAST. I arrived a wee bit late, since I had to drop the munchkin off at her Nana & Papa's house, but I arrived in plenty of time to enjoy the first course of standard cheese fondue!
