Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day!! Summer has begun and here in Florida, it sure feels like summer with temps in the low 90's. We are still getting a nice sea breeze which makes the mornings pleasant. After much deliberation, we decided to stick around home and celebrate Memorial Day weekend locally. There were plenty of activities to keep us busy!

Some high lights:
- Big Kahuna Water Park
- Journey Tribute Band @ Harbor Walk (THEY WERE AWESOME!)
- 23 mile family bike ride near Hammock Bay
- Indoor treadwall climbing
- Chicken Chile Verde made from scratch which turned out remarkable!
- Fire works at Baytowne Wharf

It was a great weekend and a perfect balance of being at home and getting out to do various activities. As you can see, my motivation for taking photos is low after all the recent catching up I've had to do. :)

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Look at this baby!!! Isn't she a beauty?! This was my birthday present to myself and it was totally worth all the hard work it took to complete. The best part, the boys wanted nothing to do with it because of all that marvelous toasted coconut...mmmmmm!! Yes, it's a coconut custard, coconut cake with coconut marscapone frosting. I used a Bobby Flay Throw Down Recipe and tweaked it here and there. The coconut custard it's self was a birthday present!  Click here for the recipe but if you decide to make it I would adjust the frosting (I think there are some errors in the one posted): Coconut Cake Oh, don't worry...I made the boys ice cream cone cupcakes so they wouldn't be tortured by my coconut cake. :)

 With the cake made, my birthday was complete! Or, so I thought...three boys had other plans.

I woke up to a beautifully wrapped gift.

My big EXCITED helper!

Climbing pants! The worlds best climbing pants!! Now, if only we could find some rock around here to try them out on.

The boys pretended to be excited that I was receiving pants on my birthday but quickly moved to the next plan. Lucas handed me a special paper.

A treasure map!!

The first map lead me to the kitchen...

where I found map #2...

#2 lead me to the printer...

where I found #3....

#3 lead me to the car! Axel was extremely excited and popped the trunk for some reason?!?!?  I didn't pay much attention but did check out the car for my present.

A cool sweatshirt!! Whoot!! Oh, false alarm...that was Lucas' sweat shirt and it was a little tight on me.

 I then found my gift in the trunk of the car: A NEW PRINTER/SCANNER/COPY machine!! Awesome!!! What a perfect gift and a super fun way of finding my treasure! Thank you boys!!

That afternoon, we headed to Destin for another Big Kahuna Water Park visit and a trip to Harbor Walk. They had a Pirate Show for kids which turned out to be a great time for the whole family.

They giggled and giggled and really got into the play!

Mommy and Daddy really got into it too!

The show ended in another treasure hunt! Here Daddy documents some of our findings.

Axel was a little confused when he didn't get ice cream but only had to list three flavors. Sorry bud!

Here the boys are trying to figure out a few more things.

In the end, each boy received a pirate hat to build at home. And home was just where we were headed!!

There was DELICIOUS CAKE to be eaten!!

Oh how I love this cake!! Look, I'm only 7 years old too! :)

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Thank you Daddy, Lucas and Axel for making my birthday so special. I know it's hard to have my birthday right after Mother's Day but you guys did great!! I love you all so, so much!!

Henderson Beach Field Trip

Last month, all the Bluewater Elementary first grade classes traveled to Henderson Beach State Park. This was a wonderful field trip and a great chance to go learn about the ocean, the beach and for each student to plant their "Sea Oat." A Sea Oat is a wild grass that grows on the coastal sand dunes preventing errosion. They are protected here in Florida and every year students learn about, grow and plant their very own.

It was a cool day which was perfect for us mountain folk! Axel, Daddy and Mommy joined in on all the fun. There were 6 stations in all learning about various topics....food webs, sharks, trash, sea turtles, sea oat prep and planting.

We loved learning with the students and Axel loved being a first grader for the day!

Our friend Amanda sitting with Axel with their Sea Oats.

Mr. Cool with his sunglasses and Sea Oat.

Learning how to plant them.

Amanda.

Lucas.

Axel.

Awesome job everyone!!

Almost a 2nd Grader

Lucas was a reporter who interviewed Marjory Stoneman Douglas (played by Lauren) and her help saving the Everglades.

Lucas has an AMAZING teacher! Her name is Mrs. Kathy Chlebowski and she is truly wonderful and has found her passion in this world. We have tried to take her to second grade with us but her heart is in first grade. I guess we will be sure to visit her!

Anyways, she planned an adorable end-of-the-year presentation day. This was a way to give each student a chance to use power point and give a presentation to us parents on Florida wildlife. It was so fun to see how grown up these first graders are and how much they have progressed throughout the school year. What a treat!!

Here is the whole class, ready to get started.

Lucas doing his speaking part.

I was so excited to see Lucas present that I forgot to take a photo of him and Lauren. This photo gives you a good idea of how it was set up. The students worked on reports for 3 weeks so they became experts in their area.

We were so proud!

Awards were handed out at the end by Mrs. Chlebowski.

Lucas received "The Mentalist" because his brain is always on and he's always thinking for new ideas. :) She sure knows him well!

Lauren & Lucas...they are best buds at school so it was a real treat to be able to work together on this project.

Way to go Lucas! You did great and are so good at speaking in front of people. The morning ended in a pizza party and we all had such a wonderful time. We are so proud of you Lucas! Love, Mom & Dad

Spring Rolls

 I discovered Rice Wrapped Spring Rolls last Fall while climbing with friends in Kentucky. They are so easy, so delicious and full of fresh veggies! Our favorite protein to add is shrimp but you can use chicken or beef. I've been telling Daddy about them for months and it was finally time for him to try them. This was not without a little hesitation on Daddy's part. I think he had "egg roll" in his mind and was a little nervous about deep fried wraps. To his surprise, there was no deep frying and the rice wraps are so fun and tasty. All the fun sauces really make them come together.

While he was deployed, the meal became a great excuse to have dinner with the neighbors. We fell in love with them (the neighbors too) and perfected our technique over the months. Heather jumped right in to show Daddy how a pro does it!

Mrs. Heather giving a demo.

One minute later, Daddy jumped in.

Daddy jumped right in.

Heather did great!

Beautiful!

So did Daddy and guess what? He really enjoyed them!! :)

Daddy became an instant pro!

After dinner, we were once again reminded just how awesome our neighbors are and just how lucky we are to have Daddy home!!

Attack!!

Free Hugh rides.

Hugh was down for the count!! Worn out by one 4 year old!!

Lucas with his lady, Mrs. Heather!