A Little Summer Fun

We went blueberry picking with our friends. We brought home like 7 lbs. But we finished them all off on Sunday. Jason made us blueberry pancakes and homemade blueberry syrup. It was delicious! Navie lost her 3rd tooth. Navie and I got new got new swimsuits and water guns. We've found that water fights are a great way to beat the heat. And we went on lots of field trips. This was at the Theater to see "The Little Mermaid" play. And more from the Jump House. It'll be so fun when she comes home so we can go play some more.

Saying Goodbye

Last July, we stumbled into caring for 2 (at the time ugly) turtles. After months, they really grew on us and we rather enjoyed having them around. A few weeks ago, we noticed that Frenchy (the smaller turtle) looked like the bottom edge of her shell had been damaged. As if Crush (the big one) had been nipping at it. We also noticed that Frenchy began spending all her time on top of the rock even when it was time to eat. We began to worry and talked about letting one of the turtles go since clearly they were not getting along. Then last Sunday we noticed that we could see Frenchy's ribs and we thought, oh boy, we need to act now. So we rigged up a divider in the tank to keep them separated. All looked well that evening because Frenchy was swimming and moving all around and technically she could keep away from Crush. Anyway the next day when I went out to feed them I noticed that Frenchy did not move to get the food. I didn't really think anything of it because she was usually rather timid. But then a few hours later, Jason came home and went out to check on them and Frenchy was still in the same exact place she had been earlier. This seemed odd. So after a closer look, we determined her eyes looked a little clouded over and we gave her a poke. Our suspicions were correct, Frenchy passed on. We found a small box and we buried her in the backyard. I wanted to say something or draw a picture with Navie as a memorial but as it turned we weren't actually that "close." It was rather disheartening to discover her but everyone seems to be dealing with it alright. This was natural pose Navie had as we dug the hole for Frenchy. Navie did however sacrifice a rock from her rock collection to leave with Frenchy.

What a Weekend

Jason had a day off!! We jam packed the weekend because there are so many things to do here but so little time. On Saturday we went to Tampa and toured an old Navy ship, a US Victory (I think). It was cool because we got go all over the ship including the engine room and we read and learned a little about life during the war on the ship. Yes, I am cool enough to wear sunglasses over my regular eyeglasses. After touring the ship we went to Busch Gardens to ride roller coasters together. It was so fun. I certainly feel older than I used to. We didn't take any pictures though. We went on like 7 roller coasters. One even went straight down at a 90 degree angle. We were pretty terrified by this thought but it was really amazing! We went on the good old river rapids and we thought we were going to come out dry until the end when we drifted under a large waterfall. We had a great time together, just the two of us. Then on Monday we headed east and went to the Atlantic Ocean to give it a whirl. Jason has been daydreaming of a Miata so we took one for a spin on our way to the beach. It was a great little joy ride. The beach was nice too. This beach actually had a life guard on duty and it was just like in Baywatch with the white tower and the ramp leading into it. We totally got sunburned but it felt so good to soak up some rays. But of course we missed our sweet little girl.

A Diploma is Just a Piece of Paper...

...but so is money. Look at our big girl! She is so ready for Kindergarten! We are so proud and amazed by this little gal. And how cute is she wearing a cap and gown? I mean seriously, so cute! Of course, we had to have some grumpiness and tears. I mean everything was going so well until Navie noticed her dress showed a little bit at the bottom under her gown. How dramatic...she looks in the mirror and says, "I don't look fabalous." She didn't want to take pictures and even said "I don't want to go to graduation." Oh goodness. I'm somewhat worried about what the future holds. The sadness quickly subsided when she walked up on stage. She sang her little heart out and danced along. Precious! This was her End of the Year Celebration at the Jump House.

What a Hunk!

I forgot to add this in my post about going to beach with Jennie and Josh. It is my new favorite story and the experience made me fall even more in love with this husband of mine. When we got to the beach I parked in a parking lot along the side of the road. The car was perpendicular to the road behind it. As we were leaving, I began to panic as I realized I was going to have to back out onto the road to leave. I share this with Jason and he says "Don't worry, I'll stop traffic for you." Jason has been known to tease me in these years we've been together so I didn't actually believe him at first. But low and behold after everyone piles into the car Jason waits near the side of road and then he walks out into the street and puts out his hand to oncoming traffic to stop them so I can back out. My stress level went from like 1400 to 0, thanks to my guy! If I hadn't been driving I would have certainly taken a picture of it. There he was in the middle of the road like a traffic cop and I just pulled out into the street, he jumped in, and off we went. I am one lucky girl. It was a great day and the best driving story I have. It was like we were in a 3rd world country but nope, it happened right here in the US of A.

Mother's Day: Southern Belle Style

I enjoyed many of my favorite things this Mother's Day weekend. We went to Sea World on Saturday and I touched a dolphin, Navie slept in till like 8:30 (that never happens anymore), we wore matching outfits to church, we took family pictures, I got presents, took a nap, and ate delicious dinner. And a new favorite, wearing a beautiful hat to church. Jason has been dying to get a funnel cake so we finally did and it was worth of every penny. And I finally got a picture of the whales in the middle of their trick usually I just catch their tail or the splash after the trick is over. Of course we had to have some grumpiness to start things off right for pictures but eventually Navie came around. I love her eyes in this one. Here are my 2 favorites. I was pretty much dreading this Mother's Day in the days leading up to it but things in life have a way of falling into place and working out even if it is 100% different than anticipated. We wore hats to church in support of each other as women. It was the perfect way to spend this first mother's day without my baby boy. I was able to think of the other women in my ward and in my life who also need support on this special day. I was able to take the focus off of myself and my sadness and look outward. And I got to wear a new accessory. I feel blessed to know that my Heavenly Father is mindful of me and has placed women in my life to strengthen and love in my ways I don't even realize I need. I also feel very humbled to be chosen to be the mother of such a special person who is waiting for me in heaven.

More Visitors

Uncle Joshie and Aunt Jennie came to visit us. They didn't get in until the evening on Saturday so the 3 of us went to Busch Gardens in the morning and then picked them up at the airport after. We don't pay for parking these days because we're thrifty like that. The first picture is Navie plugging Daddy's nose for him while he carries her through the stinky parking lot we did park in. It was so cute and hilarious, I couldn't resist. Also Navie loves riding rides with her daddy. This is obviously not a great picture of me but Navie wants to take pictures now so she wanted to take one of Jason and I with the elephant. This one was taken right after she told us to move apart because she couldn't even see the elephant! It was so funny! The next day we took Josh and Jennie to the spring we went to last year. It was rather crowded but it was a beautiful day and it felt so relaxing. Unfortunately Navie and Jason were still in school while they were here so we didn't get to do too many things together. But Friday was another wonderful day. Jason took and passed a very important test so we drove to the beach to celebrate. We got some boogie boards and had a blast. Navie even has a mermaid tail. And not to worry, before they left on Saturday we had a little mini photo shoot in the front yard. And yes, we did ask the mailman to take the group shot of us. And will you please just look at how huge Navie is. She wasn't wearing shoes so I picked her up but that doesn't happen too often these days because she's like a giant grown up kid.

Catching Up

Well as life as been settling into feeling "normal" again we've done some fun stuff. We went for a nature hike and spotted some creatures. We saw some alligators, turtles, birds, and I saw my very first armadillo. It was pretty monumental. We've also started some and finished some projects. Navie finally sleeps on a twin bed. I thought her big bed would make her seem small but the opposite has happened she seems so big. Jason is still working on putting the frame together. There are pictures of the Altima all loaded with lumber to make it. The folks at Home Depot seemed pretty skeptical that we would be able to get it all home in our "car" but we sure showed them. I also made a baby blanket for Aunt Carolyn finally. I had just enough fabric leftover to make one for Navie's baby too. I kinda like making miniature, they go so much faster.