4 days and counting...

Well, the countdown to Christmas is blurring by at breakneck speed! I wonder where the time has gone. At the beginning of December, I was so on top of things...a gift plan for the girls was in place, shopping began, Christmas pictures were taken and cards were beginning to be sent! Then in a blur, 2 winter festivals, a cheerleading camp, holiday parade, a chorus concert, a band concert, a quick trip to Texas for Ryan, a run out to EPCOT for dinner and the amazing candlelight processional (with Kirk Cameron doing the reading) and girl scout meetings all happened and POOF! Here we are: 4 days left until Christmas and starting to feel the stress...despite the stressful part of the month being over!



The funniest things this month have been Cassidy's emerging independence (I say that like it's peaking through, when really it's barrelling down like an 18-wheeler on an icy mountain road) and Lily's increasing mobility (also resembling an 18-wheeler on an icy mountain road). Cassidy is now picking out her own clothes, with decent fashion sense. She's determining what she wants for lunch (within reason), and she is learning to use the potty (it's about time). Lily can now pick out an object and army crawl toward it with amazing accuracy and speed. If she gets "off course" a quick roll one way or the other usually does the trick and she's back in the groove and scooting along! There are moments when she looks just like Cassidy did a couple of years ago, but she is definitely her own little person! She's an incredibly laid back, sweet and adaptable baby. Lily is just the light of my life!



Ali, Erin & Katie finished out 2007 in school today. They enjoyed parties and gift exchanges. I'm glad to see that all of the political "correctness" hasn't gone out of the schools. They celebrate everyone, but at least they celebrate.



In closing, this is a wonderful and magical time of year. I hope in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season that we all take time to remember why we really do all this. More than 2000 years ago, God gave us his son. And so, it is this life we celebrate and honor during this time of year. Jesus IS the reason for the season! May God bless you all!

We wish you all a safe and happy holiday. Merry Christmas!

-Laurel

A month later...

WOW! It's really been a month since I last posted? A recap of the last month: it's all a hazy fog. We've been so busy. Alison is in a play this Christmas at her church. Erin and Katie are singing in the school chorus. Ryan's finishing up another semester in school. I'm coaching a wonderful group of cheerleaders at Bellalago (Erin and Katie's school) and leading a troop of 10 little Brownie Girl Scouts. Cassidy and Lily are "the easy ones". Ryan and I thought we were down-right footloose and fancy free for an entire weekend when we only had the youngest girls!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Jeff was home from training for the weekend. We fried up a couple of turkeys and my mom roasted one. My parents, brothers, sis-in-law, nephews, niece, uncle and next door neigbor blessed us with their presence and contributions to our feast! We had a great time. Lily slept through dinner. Katie and Bailey got courage and joined the polar bear club by jumping into our pool sans heater. It was 64 degrees and they turned blue pretty quickly! Katie in all of her infinite wisdom decided to take a shower to get warm...clothing and all.

We wrestled the 5 kids to the mall last Saturday for Christmas pictures. It was a bit of a challenge, but we did get a few pictures to turn out! We created a pretty cute Christmas card and hope to get those out in the next week or so.

That evening Ryan and I actually had our first post Lily no kids date! We went to Ryan's company holiday party. While the party itself was similar to a convention luncheon, it was nice to dress up, get out and have a nice dinner without the interjections we usually get from having 5 little girls! The next morning we took a couple hours to do some Christmas shopping for the girls before coming home and putting up our lights and tree.

So, that's been the month in retrospect. We have another few busy weeks ahead of us. If I don't get an update on, please have a safe, happy and blessed Christmas and a very joyous New Year!

And I'd like to wish a very big congratulations to three wonderful families:

Congratulations to Aunt Jamie & Uncle "Einstein" on their new bundle of joy, due in July! Congratulations to Emily, Brian and Joseph on the announcement of Baby #2, also due in July!
And Congratulations to Autumn, Ben & Aiden on the addition of baby girl Heidi on Nov. 30!!!

We love all of you guys and couldn't be happier that someone else is having a baby for a change!

Laurel, Ryan, Ali, Erin, Katie, Cassidy & Lily

Discovering Dolphins...

Could there be anything better than kissing a dolphin? I don't think so. Alison, Jeff, Bailey and I spent the day at Discovery Cove. Our high point of the day, as you can tell, was spending 30 minutes with C.J. and his faaabulous trainer (and our next door neighbor) Michele. C.J. even let us hitch a ride from the deeper water in to the shallows. It was a day we won't soon forget and memories that will last a lifetime!

Lily's First Food!

Well, our baby is 6 months old and as much as I hate to admit it, she's ready for some food of the not just mommy variety. I mixed up some cereal with some milk last night and offered her some of it. She did GREAT! After an initial rejection bite, I think she realized it was some good stuff because she didn't spit any more out! She was eager, going after the spoon and she must have liked it because she slept soundly through the night!!!! Enjoy the pics!

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween to everyone! The girls are getting ready to have a great night. We've got a spooky dinner planned: Goblin Gizzard Stew, Pork and Brains, buttered maggots, eye balls and Texas Toes! Sounds delicious, hmmm????

Alison is a pirate, Erin is a rainbow cheerleader, Katie is a devil (hmmm, art imitating life?), Cassidy is Tinkerbell and Lily is an octopus! Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Birthday to me...

You know, when I was a kid, I used to think that everyone got dressed up in costumes and walked around gathering candy for my birthday. It was all about me.

I wasn't totally wrong, was I?

Wastin' away again in Margaritaville...

So...

We went to the Keys. For those of you who don't know, the Florida Keys are a chain of islands off the southern tip of Florida...accessed by a mostly 2 laned road all 100 miles from Key Largo to Key West...it's not a fast trip...but we got there...in the rain...on Thursday afternoon.

We arrived at Knight's Key Campground. We chose Knight's Key because of it's Oceanfront campsites. Sleeping on the beach would be awesome...if there was a beach...instead of gravel...and mud. We moved inland to 2 nice treed, grassy sites. Overall, the campground was clean but had definitely seen it's better days. There was a swimming area in the ocean off a concrete "dock" with evidence of a former diving board and ladders missing rungs. The tiki bar looked like it was once a hip, happenin' joint, but was falling apart next to a spa that was empty and a small stage that probably harbored a nasty case of tetunus in it's rusty nails. There was a snack bar and game room complete with pool tables and foosball, but it was closed down. We thought maybe it was their off season...but this was VERY off! It was a disappointment from what we were expecting, but it was relatively clean...and that's more than I can say of most campgrounds I've stayed at (Disney's Fort Wilderness not included).

We went to Key West where FantasyFest was going on...that is Florida's version of Mardi Gras. We went during the day but it was still pretty racy. Two words...body paint. And lots of it. We went to the Southernmost Point in the Continental U.S. where we were only 90 miles from Cuba...I coulda swum it.

The weather was off and on beautiful or the pits. It was rainy during the night and mornings, but was generally nice during the days...if you like steam baths.

Seriously, it was a good trip. Not great, due to the lack of "stuff" at the campground, weather and such, but it was a good camping experience. The babies did great and I'd be eager to take them again!

I've posted some pictures along the side! Enjoy!

Go Sox, Boo Rocks...

Cassidy and Lily watch the World Series
You can see who Cassidy loves!
What a GAME!!!!

The 4th game of the World Series was by no means a blow out as the last several games the Red Sox have won. But, you only have to win by one! And that is what they did! It only took 3 years instead of 86 for the Red Sox to become World Series Champions again.

Lily has a pair of pajamas that were originally intended as a baby gift for my cousin when his son, William was born. Blue stripes with a baseball glove, bat and ball. Well, they never made it to William, so they were the perfect size for Lily to wear for watching some 2007 playoff action. I kid you not, everytime she wore the pj's, the Red Sox won. If she didn't wear them, they lost. So, it wasn't just a great team playing ball...they had William & Lily's pj's on their side!

As Katie's new Red Sox t-shirt says, "There's no cryin'...unless you're a Yankees fan!" So, GGAJ, you can blame those tears on a detached retina, but we know why you're really crying, you Yankee!

So...as Cassidy says, "Go Sox...boo Rocks"!

Milkshake...

A picture says a thousand words...unfortunately, we'd need a series of pictures for this story.



Ryan, Cassidy, Lily and I went to eat at Fuddrucker's while the older girls went to a birthday party. We ordered burgers and shakes and waited. The shakes arrived first, looking delicious with whipped cream and a cherry on top. I was figuring Cassidy would want to dive in, but she didn't give them a second look. The burgers arrived soon after. Cassidy ate every bit of her lunch, never giving the shake a try. I started into mine, still she never even asked for her. Finally, it was getting to me...what kind of kid was I dealing with here!!!! I asked her, "Cassidy, do you want your milk shake?" She didn't say anything, she just started to shiver. Again, I asked, "Do you want your milk shake?" Again, she started to shiver. I simplified it, "Milk shake??" She took her sippy cup (with milk in it) and started to shiver again. Then it hit me! Could it be? Is it possible that Cassidy didn't know what she was dealing with here? How could she not know? I mentioned the possibility that she didn't know what a milkshake was to Ryan. He didn't think it was possible. Then I told Cassidy, "Milk shakes are like ice cream". It was all clear to her then. She took a taste and declared, "Khaki-dee loves milk shakes".



Picture coming soon!

There's only one October!

I'm currently watching game 6 of the ALCS. At the moment Boston is leading Cleveland 10-2. I'm really hoping Boston pulls off a win in Game 7! I could use a new Boston Red Sox shirt.

We are preparing for a camping trip to the Keys next week. The girls are out of school on Thursday and Friday, so we're taking advantage of a long weekend and heading south to Marathon Key. We're looking forward to getting away for a few days! We plan on doing several Halloween activities, visiting the dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center, parasailing, snorkeling, not to mention sleeping on the beach under the stars. We are going with our good friends, the Hartwigs (Shelly, Tom and Ashley). Hopefully, there will be a bunch of new pictures to post when we get home!

Happy Birthday to Katie's bestest friend in the whole world...We love you, Sofia!

Boston's up 11-2...make that 12-2...I think I'm safe to go to bed. Go Sox!!!

Twelve Days of Misery!

Twelve Days...that's the length of time it takes for a stomach virus to wreak havoc on the Birks-Kilman household. Cassidy started it last Monday. She was sent home from school throwing up, but was fine about 4 hours later. Katie's hit in the wee hours of Thursday morning, and it hit me like a truck at about 9:30 am on Thursday. Erin and Katie had it on Saturday, Lily on Monday and Ryan thought he escaped...but alas, it was lurking, waiting for him. He's in bed at the moment. What a fun 2 weeks, let me tell ya! I'd prefer not to do it again.

It was a pretty short lived virus, so aside from the day or so that it affected each of us, we were pretty active despite it. Cassidy learned all about the color purple this week, eating purple grapes for snack and wearing a purple t-shirt on Thursday. Erin and Katie have joined the choir at school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Katie also joined the "Fit Club" on Wednesday mornings. She has fun doing exercise without knowing that she's actually exercising!!! Sneaky, huh? Ali won the part in her church's Christmas play, she was excited about that! She starts rehersals this Tuesday. Lily can roll across the room in no time flat and we've had fun this week playing games with each other. Ryan and I started getting up early in the morning this week to go for a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood before the girls wake up. It was hot and muggy on Monday, but a cold front went through yesterday afternoon and this morning reminded us of why it is that we love Florida! It was 65 degrees and dry and beautiful!!! This is truly the best time to be in Florida...we love October!!!!

Lily

Boy has she been growing. About a week ago, she reached the rolling over in all directions milestone. She's no longer feeling the need to stay in one place anymore. We'll put her down under her "guys" and we'll find her 4 feet away within moments! SO, we bought her a new bouncer! It's a great containment unit...full of fun things to do and good exercise! See how much she's enjoying it?!?!

Happy October!

I bet you thought I was going to say Happy Birthday to someone else, right? The September birthdays are over and it's time to gear up for Halloween! The girls are deciding on their costumes, which will remain a secret (at least to all of you on the internet) until the spooky (or not so spooky) night.


I am always excited to see October in. It signifies the true ending of summer in Florida to me. The weather gets beautiful, cool in the mornings, warm in the afternoon and downright chilly in the evenings! This is truly the perfect time to visit our state! There is also a lot going on at the theme parks, Halloween parties all around. This year I think we'll take in SeaWorld's Shamu Spooktacular!

We only have a few things planned so far, but they're good things! First we are actually going to be prepared for our community's semi-annual garage sale! It's the weekend of Oct 20-21, but we've already cleared out the garage once...now we have to sort through the remaining stuff that was reloaded to prepare! Lots of clothes and toys and stuff! The following weekend will be our reward for a successful sale. We are going to the Keys for 4 days to go camping with our friends Shelly, Tom and their daughter Ashley. They are very into geocaching, and we're looking forward to some girls vs. boys searches and family vs. family searches in addition to margaritas by the ocean! We've never been to the Keys, so we are particularly looking forward to that!

Keep checking in on other things we are up to this month!

-Laurel

Happy 35th Birthday, Ryan!

I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to my best friend, my husband and the best dad 5 little girls could have. I have so many memories of the 17 or so years that we've known each other. I think of lunches at Blimpie's, playing spoons at Christen's (I think I displayed my marvelous baking ability that night as well), watching Home for the Holidays on our first "date", ice skating in the West End of Dallas, flying kites and watching "Unsolved Mysteries". Good times, good times. Our daughters are lucky to have you, as am I.



Happy Birthday, Honey. I love you!

Happy 8th Birthday, Katie!

Katie,
You amaze me. There is not a day that goes by that you don't do or say something that stuns me...usually in a good way! I can't believe that we've been lucky enough to have you for the last 8 years! You are so smart and funny and creative and loving. I can't even imagine what the future holds for you, but whatever it is, I know that you will embrace it with every bit of your wonderful being! I am so proud of you and so proud to be your momma!
I love you!
-Mommy

The fast and the furious...

Thursday night we had a storm. Around 8:45 p.m., a crack of thunder, flash of lightning and a fast and furious windy downpour lasting no more than 15-20 minutes went through. I didn't give it any thought really, as late afternoon and evening storms are par for the course here in Central Florida. The kids were in bed, Ryan wasn't home from school yet, so I just relaxed and enjoyed the light show.

SO....Friday morning rolls around and we're all running around getting ready for school/work/meetings, etc. Ryan says to me, "Wondering why the umbrella is at the bottom of the pool." I thought that was an odd comment, why would an umbrella be in the pool? I look and it's not just any umbrella, it's our 5" rainbow beach/table umbrella that is upside down in the shallow end. It was a strong storm, but to lift the open umbrella out of our table was a pretty amazing feat!!! Katie took the task on herself to extract said umbrella...managing somehow to keep dry...odd. I helped her get it all the way out and collapsed, then I looked at the table. Shattered! There is about a 6" gash where the umbrella came up, then fell to the side and broke through the glass, but the entire table top was shattered. Thank goodness for safety glass that held most of the glass in place, there's not much of a mess to clean up, but it reminds us how powerful mother nature can be!!!

Someday, when I get my camera back from NC, I'll take a picture...it's really kinda cool.

Happy 12th Birthday, Ali!!!!

Wow...it's hard to believe it's been 12 years since you burst into my life! I remember it like it was yesterday...ok, well maybe like it was 5 days ago! I'm so proud of who you have become (a future dolphin trainer), what you have done (what other kid brings the Governor for show and tell) and what an amazing young lady you are going to be (I can't wait to see!)! You'll always be my baby!!! I love you, Tiglet!
-Mom

Lily's vital stats!

Lily went to the doctor today for her 4 month check up (granted she is almost 5 months). She weighed in at 14 pounds even, and measured 24.75 inches tall. She's in the 50th percentile for her height and weight and is perfectly, beautifully healthy! What a wonderful baby!

Back to the real world!

You know there's just nothing like being COLD in September!

We were in North Carolina for the weekend for the wedding of Katie's godmother Megan Moses to Paul Staeheli. We got up there on Thursday night, after picking up 2 rental cars at the Charlotte airport...it seems they didn't have anything that would seat 7. As luck would have it, Megan's younger brother, Mikey, had arrived about the same time as us and needed a ride home, so 2 rental cars worked out better than one anyway! It was chilly up in the mountains, but a very welcome change from the unseasonably warm weather we've been having in Florida.

Friday it rained all day...and I mean all day. It was cold, wet, and all around miserable. Ryan and I spent the better part of the day with Lily and Cassidy in town running errands and stocking up on kids' swimsuits (they never go on clearance down here!!!). I don' t know that there's a place I'd rather be cold and wet than in Boone, NC. The mountains just make it all OK!

Saturday started out foggy, but turned out beautiful for Megan's wedding. The ceremony took place at St. Elizabeth's (the same church Katie and Bailey were baptized in). Megan asked me to read the first reading, which I was honored to do! The wedding was absolutely beautiful! The reception was at the Moses' house, in their pasture. A huge reception tent was out in the field dressed up with flowers and lights. It was a great party! We saw friends there from long ago that we'd not seen in years. We had a wonderful dinner and delicious cake and lots to drink (take that how ever you want to...it's probably true). The younger babies were exhausted but the older girls just wanted to dance the night away. It was great. Alison didn't want to leave.

Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day in the mountains. Clear sky, chilly, but not too cold. The girls went on a hike with Jenise down the ski slopes and had a good time. I stayed home and packed for the trip home. Sadly, we had to leave around 1 to return to the airport. We stopped by the Moses one last time before heading out to drop off Megan and Paul's gift and to pick up a hung over Mikey to take him back to the airport for his flight. Everything was very smooth coming back to Florida. But I miss the mountains all over again!

So, we're back to the daily grind after a pretty fantastic weekend. We've got a busy week ahead of us. Alison will be 12 on Thursday, Katie'll turn 8 on Sunday and Ryan will turn #% next Thursday! It'll be a great week, I'm sure! Look for pictures...although I think I might have left the camera up in NC.

Have a great week!
Laurel

September 11th...6 years later...

There are anniversaries that we honor: celebrations and tragedies alike. Today is one of those days.



Erin's class did a project today. They made an American flag from construction paper and the kids wrote what America meant to them. Erin's said, "I'm happy to live in a country that is free and safe." We went to dinner at our local pizza place with Bob Bob...and again, Erin's deepness showed. She could have picked any songs on the jukebox, but picked, "God Bless the USA" and "What a Wonderful World". Erin and Katie know every word to both, and they belted them out with every bit of heart and soul that they have (which is ALOT!). These kids, these little girls who truly can't have any actual memory of 9/11, honor this day better than most, singing songs of pride in their country and the beauty of their world. Children show us what is good and pure and true in this life. They show us the proof that what those evil people set out to do that clear, crisp, beautiful September day failed. We were hit hard, but no one can destroy the heart, the soul and the spirit of this amazing nation!



God Bless the U.S.A.!

My growing girl!!!

Lily rolled over! On Friday night, 9/7, I put her down to sleep. Before I went to bed, I checked in on her and she was on her belly! I thought it was a fluke, but last night when she woke up at about 4:30am, she again was on her belly! And today, I witnessed a roll over while we were at swim lessons with Cassidy. I set Lily down on a towel and she promptly rolled over! So, I guess 3rd time is a charm and it's official! I don't know when the other girls rolled over, but I definitely don't think it was this early! All that mommy at home playing time has paid off!

She's looking over the computer at me...check out the picture!

Laurel

Labor Day Weekend...

There's not a whole lot going on, I just posted some pictures up of Cassidy that made me laugh. I'll try and capture some Lily photos this week and post them as well!

Happy Birthday to our friends: Mikayla (8/30), Ashley (9/1) and Jennifer (9/7). We love you all and hope you had/have a wonderful day!

Kids say the Darndest Things...

A few Cassidy-isms for the masses:

"Pops" = grapes...we can only figure this comes from we "pop" them into our mouths.
"Coderhot" = warm milk...comes from "Would you like your milk cold or hot?"
"bailey soup" = bathing suit

And now for a Cassidy funny story:

A few nights ago, Cassidy invaded our bed in the middle of the night. Lily soon followed and while I was feeding Lily, I got annoyed with Ryan's snoring. Cassidy was still awake...wide awake...and when I kept trying to wake Ryan, she caught on and helped me. Ryan gets up and I tell him that Cassidy was kicking him out because he was snoring. She pipes up, "I no kick Daddy off the bed, my feet are right here".

Also, today is Lily's 4 month birthday! We are so thankful to have this wonderful little girl in our family. She fits in perfectly with the rest of the clan and she's so great to have around! We'll keep her! Happy Birthday Lily!

The First Day of School...a week later!

Ok, so one could assume that staying home would allow this thing to be kept current...a week behind isn't SO bad, is it???

Last Monday was the First Day of School for the year. As mentioned before, the girls went in different directions. Ali is going to Horizon Middle School, riding a bus, and NOT wearing uniforms for the first time since she was 5. Erin and Katie are in 4th and 3rd grades, respectively, at Bellalago Academy and still wearing uniforms :-)!!! Cassidy is in "school" at the local Methodist church next to City Hall where Ryan works. Everyone had great first days. Lily gets to stay home with me and play, sleep and eat all day! What a life!

Everyone was eager to go back the next day, so it couldn't have been all that bad! Ali was a little overwhelmed, but she did a great job and found her way to the bus in the afternoon and got home safe and sound.

Keep checking to see updates...maybe in a week, I'll tell you about Lily being 4 months old!

-Laurel

The First Day of School...almost

Well, it's nearly time for the annual tradition of sending the girls off for their first day of school. This year is a little different. For the first time, the girls will be heading in different directions. I'll miss the pictures of my 3 "little" girls in their coordinated uniforms and sparkling smiles. Alison chose to spend the night with her dad so he could take her to school. Anything to avoid the bus. Erin and Katie had a hard time falling asleep...they are so excited. Cassidy even got in on the back to school excitement with a new lunchbox! Look for pictures and a new blog for tomorrow!!!
-Laurel

What I did this summer...

Countdown to school starting...3 days! As we begin the final weekend before the 2007-08 school year, it's time to reflect on our eventful summer!

The girls got out of school in May and we couldn't get to North Carolina fast enough...but that still took nearly 3 weeks for all of us to get up there. Things worked out that Erin and Katie drove up with my parents. Several days later, my dad flew back to Florida. Alison had gone to Texas unexpectedly, so I flew the Bob-Bob Express up to NC with Cassidy and Lily, while Ryan stayed behind with school and work. Ryan and Alison drove up on Friday the 13th of June when she returned. Ryan and the three older girls spent Father's Day weekend at Camp Ginger Cascades in Lenoir, NC. Ginger Cascades is a Girl Scout camp that I attended as a child, and the girls attended last summer. They spent the weekend fishing, canoeing, rock climbing (on a wall), and eating! They were joined by our friends, Jorge and Sofia Garcia and George and Caroline Rimel. The rest of the Garcias (Christine and Sam) and Rimels (Tami, Audrey and Jarrett) came up to Beech Mountain to stay with the baby girls and me. Everyone had a great time, both on the mountain and at the camp, check out some photos of both!

Ryan and Jorge had to get back to Florida to work and school, so they left just after camp ended. Ryan flew back on the Bob-Bob Express George, Tami and Jarrett left early in the week. Christine and I stayed up there for about another 3 weeks with a combined total of 9 kids! After 2 weeks, we decided we didn't have enough kids, so we got my dad to bring my neice Bailey back with him while on a quick Florida trip. With 9 girls and our token Sammy Boy, we had great fun for the remaining week.

Ali, Erin and Katie went to a couple of camp sessions during the 3 weeks and had a blast. They can't wait to go back next year. They caught up with some of last year's friends at camp and reformed friendships.

Reluctantly, we returned to Florida, hating to leave the beauty and fabulous weather of North Carolina. Alison headed to Texas for a month with her dad and family. Erin and Katie attended a variety of day camps, ice skating, gymnastics and Erin attended a week at SeaWorld Adventure Camp. She had a great time learning all about a varitey of animals...from dolphins to manatees, aligators to penguins. She definitely wants to repeat next year, and wants Ali to have the experience as well. I had to return to work, to help complete the sale of the family's business. After running the 40 year old family business for 10 years, my parents made the decision to sell. It was an emotional couple of weeks, but we closed on Friday, July 27th.

A week later, on August 5th, Alison returned from Texas and we started up to North Carolina for another week long vacation. This time, we took everyone! We spent a very relaxing, yet too short week enjoying the mountains. We celebrated my father's 65th birthday up there on August 6th. We mostly stayed on the mountain and enjoyed the mild weather and scenic views. The girls had a great time with my parents, hiking, playing baseball and tennis. Ryan and I started a new vacation passtime...geocaching. Using a GPS, we locate different caches around the area. A couple just had a log to sign, but the other 2 had little trade items in them. We learned of this from our friends, Shelly, Tom and Ashley Hartwig here in Florida. It's like a scavenger hunt and it is pretty fun. Ryan was the ultimate finder...3 of the 4 were his finds. Ali and I found the other one. Ryan and I drove home with Erin, Katie and Lily. Ali and Cassidy stayed in NC for an extra day and took the Bob-Bob Express home on Monday the 13th.

This week has been a week of re-entry and preparation for school. All the shopping is done, backpacks and school supplies are all stocked and ready to go. Ali is getting to experience school without uniforms for the first time. She's excited that she gets to wear a choice of clothes, I'm going to miss the simplicity of all 3 in uniforms, for sure. At least, Erin and Katie inherit Ali's uniform shirts from last year, so they are all set for school clothes this year!

I have posted some pictures and there should be more to come. For the time being, enjoy!!!

-Laurel

Lions and Tigers and Pigeons...oh my...

Today seemed like the first real day of my post-Marathon life. I had all the girls HOME and to myself. By about 1, I'd decided that there was no way I would ever even consider home-schooling my kids! Countdown to the First Day of School is now at 5 days!

We ended up going to the Central Florida Zoo up in my hometown of Sanford. For some reason the only true recollection of this place was the mini train that ran around...and it wasn't running. I called my childhood pal, Patty and she joined us with her 18 month old daughter Lucy, who could easily pass as a twin to my nephew Bobby. Patty had the distinct recollection of an old tired tiger peeing on my Aunt Joie's leg on a trip to the zoo when we were maybe 6 and 7 years old. I have no direct memory of this, but having heard her retell it several time, I've formed my own image of what happened, and I tell you, it's hilarious! Maybe not totally accurate, but who cares! The tiger is no longer there...which begs the question, where did my aunt get that tiger-striped floor throw???

After the zoo, we all stopped to feed the ducks and Erin's head became the unfortunate target for a well aiming pigeon. Things really do come full circle...or Patty just brings out the best in animals.