Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer

June is upon us... and so the start of Hurricane Season has officially kicked off. Nothing brewing at the moment, but naturally we are fully engulfed in our daily rain storms. This is typical of the season. It looks like this year the storms are around 3pm or so... although I haven't been tracking them as close as in earlier years.. I'll try to get a better look at them over the next week or so..
That being said, after today's little deluge Rachel discovered the joy of puddles! We went out on the lanai and there were great big puddles for her to jump around in... and jump she did... so hard at one point that she splashed her shirt!
She also spent today rediscovering a present she got from Tom's cousins for Christmas... a really cute baby doll. The past few days I'd seen her trying to carry her Elmo Live doll around, patting it on the back, hugs & kisses, etc... but Elmo Live is not meant to be schlepped around! He has too many mechanical parts that might break! So I pulled out the doll again to see if she would take interest... and she sure did...
She spent the day carrying around her baby, hugging it, kissing it, and finally sitting on the floor with the dog on one side and dolly in her lap and she was reading to them both... it was beyond cute. I wanted to get pictures, but NATURALLY... the moment I went for the camera, they were done... oh well.. next time!
OH... and Penny has become a total whimp about thunder! She has always hated loud noises, but was ok around summer time with all the storms.. not today. Today when the rains came, she began shaking and actually jumped in my lap like a quivering chihuahua... a little uncomfortable, considering she's weighing in around 65 lbs or so... we might have to get her some doggie downers for the 4th of july if this is how she's gonna act.

Almost Cut My Hair

So today, I broke down and bought an air card for my laptop. Here I sit at almost 3am at work, and I am finally able to update this blog on a more regular basis! I'm gonna like this!

Today was full of fun... a little background... we have a fenced in area of the yard for the dog, right off the lanai. We leave the screen door open a little so Penny can go out to do her business or play or whatever without us, since our time is a little more occupied now with little Miss running all over the house.

SO... I go out there this afternoon to find a grackle flying around the lanai! (for those who don't know, a grackle looks like a crow that shrunk in the wash)

So I'm trying to figure out how to scoot this guy out before he puts a hole in the pool cage... I walked slowly towards him with the pole from the power sprayer. First he flew around it, under it, over it, etc... then he landed on it but jumped off as soon as I tried to move it... finally he ended up on the ground in the corner of the pool cage. I walked closer, and the little guy actually let me pick him up! I held him with one hand and petted it gently with the other while I walked him out to the door and I set him free... and before anyone freaks, yes I scrubbed my hands really well and even used hand sanitizer.

After that, we headed out to get the air card... from there, it was off to my parents. Mom fed the munchkin some dinner while dad colored my hair. Phew... what a busy day!

Rachel has also discovered she really likes corn on the cob... you can't see it in this picture, but she had it in her hair, up her nose, and naturally all over her legs.. but she still munched away! These pics are actually not from today, but I didn't take any today so these are for fill in purposes! :-)

Oh Say Can you See

So I am a total slacker once again. We had our annual Shrimp Boil/BBQ for Memorial Day and could you believe I did not take any pictures that whole day???? I am SO mad at myself! I do have some shots of Rachel, who looked adorable in her little "all american girl" skirt set... Wish I remembered the camera for her red, white & blue bathing suit!

We had quite a big crowd this year... I think it was the biggest one yet. The food was outstanding as usual, (thanks to my brilliantly talented hubby, the chef!) and the company was great. There were a few no-shows as usual, but it's ok, since it was a pretty packed house most of the time! This year of course, was a bit different since we had kids here for the first time. My friend Meri brought her roommates kids and Alexis was an amazing baby sitter. She kept Rachel occupied all day, and most of the time, I didn't even know where she was, but knew she was ok!

Alexis' brother Gavin was just the cutest little guy too... he kept trying to carry Rachel around, but I think she weighs almost as much as he does!

We also had Jack & Abbey, my friends Tasi & Justins kids... Jack is all boy, and just the cutest thing you want to see. And Abigail was by far, our most adorable guest... She is only a month old and OMG, she is sure TINY! Because Rachel was already 9 months old when we met her for the first time, it's hard to imagine her ever being that teeny..

Later in the day another little cutie, Mikey, stopped in for a visit too! He was born roughly a week before we left for China to get Rachel! He was just the sweetest thing... so smiley!!!

All together, I think we had about 30 adults and 6 kids including Rachel. Thank goodness for the pool! It was pretty hot outside but we had some good pool time in there...

All in all, I think it was a pretty good day... Good friends, Good food, Good weather... what more could we ask for??

Frère Jacques

Finally... we have been home for 8 months already, and finally Ilyse & Jodi got to meet our little Rachel! Since we got back and since Ilyse moved back here after living in France for the past 15 years, we are now less than 3 hours apart but had not been able to arrange a visit till now! So, Ilyse, her sister Jodi, and my "little" G-dkids Steven & Juliette finally came to visit. It was REALLY short, but I am just so glad they made it! Rachel had a TERRIFIC time playing with everyone, but seemed to take a special shine to Aunt Jodi & Juliette!

We all had fun in the pool before they daily deluge of rain (another typical Florida day), and the kids had fun playing with the bubble wands Aunt Ilyse bought!

Oh... and thanks to my G-dson Steven, we FINALLY have our Wii connected! I kicked butt in duck hunt, but everyone else was having a great time with the Wii Fit games. Aunt Ilyse wasn't feeling too well, so that wasn't fun. But all in all we had a great little visit. Penny had a blast with all the extra playmates around too!

Later tonite we are going to Linda & Tony's for dinner and Rachel will be so thrilled to have some yummy pasta!

Your Mother Should Know

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! Started out Saturday going to my friend's son's 2nd birthday party. Rachel had her first real swim day! She absolutely LOVED the pool, which didn't surprise me since she has so much fun in the water...

And even Momma went in the pool! It was really very nice. The water was warm and the company was terrific!

She had a good time playing with Ben & the other kids at the party. Of course, all that sun & water just knocked her out, so by the time we were headed for home, she was zonked out!

Then of course, we celebrated Mother's Day on Sunday. I got beautiful roses with balloons, and a DVD. And I think my favorite gift was getting to sleep in! I slept for 5 whole hours and it was just wonderful!

After waking up, it was time to get dressed and go pick up my mom. We all went to a local seafood place (Ariel's) and had their Lobster Special for dinner. It was way yummy... although Rachel decided she is not ready for lobster. She had french fries & grouper fingers instead.

Then today (Monday) we had Chris Cifatte from Wink News came back to film another segment with us! This is becoming a new hobby! Today's subject was online coupon codes. I think they shot much more footage of Rachel the last time, and I have no idea when this one will air, but like last time, I'll post a link when it's available!

We may do another one next time about reading emails for pay and taking surveys for pay... just wish they could use my referal links so I could get the credit for them!

Teddy Bears Picnic

Ok, so I just stole these pictures from my friend Lori's blog... but I just loved them, and I'm pretty sure she won't mind.

Sunday we had an awesome time at Lakes Park with our friends who have also adopted little girls from China & Vietnam.

From left to right we have Hailey, Hannah, Taylor, Rachel, Amelia and Kaylie. Rachel loves water, but not when it splashes her, so this bench was a real challenge for her.

The picnic was really great. Lori & John were there with their girls Amelia & Kaylie, and Trish was there with her 3 little beauties - Hailey & Hannah from Vietnam, and Taylor who is our newest arrival from China! The girls all got along great. Rachel was a little stand-offish, but I think it's just because she is the youngest, and the other girls can all communicate with each other.

Rachel was still kinda stuck to me like glue! So even though the water park was meant for the kids to enjoy, I got soaked too. Good thing it was warm out so I didn't mind getting wet!

After we all played in the water, we had our picnic. We had to wait for daddy to get there with our food, but in the meantime, Rachel sat on a blanket under a tree and nibbled on some crunchy snacks... and dug her hands into the dirt! yummy!

When it was time for everyone to go home, hugs & kisses were shared by all the girls. They were really TOO CUTE!

After leaving the park, it was time to go to Nana & Papa's for a good old fashioned Italian dinner... Spaghetti, Meatballs & Sausage... way too much food as usual, but it was all yummy. And Rachel sure loved playing with Mom's friends Linda & Tony. We had lots of fun blowing bubbles too. Wish I had not been so tired by then. I would have remembered to pull out the camera and take more pictures!

Sister's Coming Home

Today is cleaning day... I'm still getting over whatever it is I've got (no results yet from the throat cultures they did at the beginning of the week.. ) but tomorrow, Rachel's Auntie Marla & Uncle Danu will be here! WOOHOO!! I'm just so excited I could scream (but I won't cuz the dumpling is napping now!)
I am dying for Daniel to see how attached she is to the little pink piano he gave her when we were up there in December. She can't go a day without playing it and dancing to the "player piano" mode. Anyway, I know I don't have to clean like I would for company, since Marla & Daniel are definitely NOT company, but I still have to do the average clean up, mopping, dishes, laundry, etc... but right now, I'm gonna lay down and take a little nap while she is sleeping... I still feel SO miserable... but at least I'm on the mends. My sores are almost gone from the roof of my mouth, my throat doesn't feel like I'm swallowing razor blades any more... these are all good things!

Oh... and this is one of Rachel's favorite new poses. She tries to get a close to Penny as she can, squirming her way into Penny's paws... and Penny doesn't seem to mind. At least not until Rachel sits on her paw or something like that. But all she does it gets up and walks away, and waits for Rachel to come back again!

Everybody Hurts

Wow, it has been a while since I've updated this blog... sorry... but it's been one of those months! I started my medical billing classes... and I'm already behind,

but I DID get an A on my first exam! Yeah!

Rachel's been having some teething issues... she now has 10 definitely in and 4 more that are just about ready to pop thru... She's had some firsts... Her first Oreo (Strawberry Cream middle), her first Hot Cocoa, and I'm sure there were more but right now my brain isn't functioning enough to remember...
That's another reason for the delay... been a bit under the weather... and since I didn't just crawl under the covers when I started feeling crummy, now I've got a wonderful viral infection that has settled in my MOUTH of all places... it is awful... my tongue swelled and now has little bumps that keep bleeding... my throat is killing me and feels like I'm swallowing little tiny razor blades... sounds great, right? So I went to the ER the other day and they gave me an antibiotic and liquid tylenol with Codeine... then today I went to my regular Dr... he gave me a lydacaine gel that I can use to anesthtise my mouth... at least then maybe I'll be able to eat something..
I sure better lose some weight from this one!
I'll have to wait a few days for the results of the throat cultures he took... I just hope the razor blade feeling goes away SOON... that is miserable...
In the meantime, I'm now out of work for the next week, so I will probably try to get caught up on my homework and get my girlfriend's web site fixed up right...
and of course,
take more pictures of the little dumpling!

Ma Nishtana (Why is this night different from all other Nights)

So it is Passover. Rachel's first! We went to my parent's friends Ruth & Dick for first night Passover Sedar. It was a great time for all... especially Rachel, who got to try all kinds of new foods!

She also got to meet lots of new people. She had a great time

Rachel tried Gefilte Fish and absolutely loved it! She ate a whole piece and even some of MY piece. After the fist, she ate a whole bowl of Matzo Ball soup. loved that too...

She also tried chopped liver. She didn't hate it but she didn't love it either... And then there was the charoset... YUMMY.... that's her momma's favorite. She liked it too, especially on matzo.

She was pretty full after all that good food, but still found room for a little brisket and string beans with almonds. YUM again!
I had some strange dillusional moment, thinking that if I changed her into her PJ's and gave her a bottle, that maybe she would go to sleep... HA!
But she had a good time sitting on Nana's lap, and playing with grandpa!

This morning, it was a typical Passover breakfast... Matzo Brie! She liked that too... oh, and so did Penny, who had a great time cleaning up Rachel's chair!

Workin for the Weekend

I can't believe another weekend is over. Boy, those 2 days off sure do fly by. Rachel and I had lots of fun while I was off. First of all, she is TOTALLY walking by herself now! She no longer NEEDS to hold anyone's hand or finger to go anywhere. She still wants to grab my hand sometimes, but mainly to drag me into the room to play. One of her new favorite things is at least once a day she takes my hand and leads me into MY bedroom. Then she wants to be THROWN onto the bed, where we play trampoline, and pretend to take a nap (complete with fake snoring!)
She also likes to go to her own room and set off all the musical toys at once. Then she dances to them all. It is pretty funny... and loud!