recent photos

here are some recent photos from the past few weeks capturing our life on the fly!! Both of the kids are growing so fast, I can hardly believe we have a 7th and 4th birthday upcoming!! Jack continues to mature and become more self sufficient. He is up most days for school now before we prompt him to get up and often times he is fully dressed and ready to go before we've even started to ask him to get up, taking care of it all himself. We struggle to get him to eat breakfast, or much breakfast anyways because he has to be up and out the door so early, leaving with Jon most days by 7:20 or so, sometimes sooner. School starts around 7:45 and he likes to be there early enough to settle in. Sarabeth is content with pre-school two mornings a week for now and being home with Ann and their routine of errands, picking up Jackson, and her nap...her nap! This child is a sleeper, having to be awakened most days when it is time to get Jackson but left to her own devices she will put up that she is not taking a nap and then when the time comes usually go down without a fuss and really some relief on her end and then sleep 2-3 hours! I think she is growing!! She is very self sufficient and can play very well on her own and really entertains herself, she is a very easy going child. I'm not sure where she gets that from...bless her...no one else in the family seems to be that way!! She is doing ballet and gymnastics right now as well as reading garden lessons for pre-schoolers her age. Jackson did the same thing although not as early as she has started. Her vocabulary and verbal skills are very high and reading is not too far off we don't think and she really enjoys it so she will continue with her reading lessons as will Jackson this summer. They are both such a joy at nearly 7 and 4 and each new day brings something new!!

Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas Photos!

We have had a weekend at home with some rest and also some obligations we had to fulfill this weekend including a crazy soccer game on friday night and a school fundraiser last night, not necessarily fun and we are looking ahead to summer where are schedule is free of things like this!!! We are starting to plan for our summer vacation which is right around the corner in about 5 weeks to Turks and Caicos, and we are also planning a super 7th and 4th birthday bash at the moorings whuch us also coming up in just about a month!! Here are some pictures from our cruise which was a month ago already!!

signs of summer....

We have been through one more VERY BUSY MONTH. OMG. That is really all I can say. Season comes to our community every single year but unless you live and work here, you really cannot get the jist of what this INSANE experience is like. I feel like I've been on a mad merry go round going at high speeds for the past three months. It starts really in mid-February adn does not let up until the middle of May. It is good for the pocket book, bad for the sanity and general overall well being!! Jon and I are both worn ragged, although our bank books look good. We are ready for the summer slow down to hit and the signs around town have all of us "locals" smiling...the turquoise beautiful flat summer ocean is here...GORGEOUS. I had a business lunch at the ocean grill and could just look at it for days...the color and flatness of the ocean in the summer is pure turquoise and goes for miles with no waves in sight. The traffic on the island is thinning...I can gage this as I can get in and out of my neighborhood and office with much more ease than even three weeks ago when capacity limits peaked here over Easter weekend. I can also get a parking spot over the lunch hour at some favorite lunch haunts....and speaking of lunch...I can actually get out of my office to take a lunch break now and again..usually to meet a colleague or realtor for lunch for more marketing (bane of being self employed...one must constantly get out there and toot their own horn) but at least I can get out!! I've been doing a lot of marketing latetly to keep business going strong into the summer months including speaking two two separate brokerage firms in our area in the past two weeks about the real estate market and the services an attorney can offer at the closing table, and I also was live on the air this morning with a local radio show. I did some work for the lead for the radio show (successfully) and so we did a bit of a service swap and he has offered me some on air time to market myself and my firm as thanks. It was actually really fun and the second time I have done that!! This weekend we are hanging at home, Jackson had an Friday night under the lights soccer game and sissy is recovering from yet another cold so she and I are home watching Little Mermaid tonight and having a "popcorn party". Tomorrow morning we have plans to hit the beach as a family (no soccer, yeah) and tomorrow night Jon and I will attend the annual Gala for Jackson's school. We sponsored through the firm so we are looking forward to attending and the VIP recognition we get as a sponsor as well:) In other household news...the baby of the family (Buckeye) turned ONE this past weekend! He's nearly 97 pounds and still growing but he is a LOVE. He is honestly the BEST DOG we have ever had. Maybe its because we've had him since he was a baby so he is truly ours but he is a gentle giant and just absolutely loves the kids, especially Jackson. He is Jackson's dog for sure. TGIF HAPPY WEEKEND ALLL...I will do another post this weekend with some recent pictures.

spring clean out and father daughter dance

We have been home this weekend (for once) and I decided it was time to undertake some spring cleaning of closets and cabinets. Not fun but necessary as the weather is heating up (temps near 90 both days here and humid, ugh)!! I emptied about 6 large garbage bags full of clothing, toys, cups, bins, etc. that we do not need any longer. Some of it is just going to the trash but a lot of it I am donating. We also had our neighborhood block party yesterday afternoon and evening, somehow the late afternoon rain missed us and held off, and today Jon and Sarabeth are at a father daughter dance for the afternoon. Here are some pictures before they left!

Life over the past 5 weeks

Life has been very busy for the month of March and the beginning of April. In chronological order, I turned 35 (eek), Jon and I worked like mad people during our busiest month where we live with tons of extra people in town from all over the place to enjoy our wonderful March Florida weather, our hard work paid off as we soaked up the sun for a week in the Caribbean on a FREE cruise Jon received for being the best salesman for his company last year, Mimi and Papa and as a surprise, Uncle Jay, came to visit and stay with the kids while we were on the cruise, we returned and enjoyed some time with them for a few more days in town, we traveled to South Florida to see the Sherman Family for Easter...and here we are again...EXHAUSTED but life is good!! I went to bed last night at 8:30 and slept for 9 hours!!!!! I needed it!! As the temperatures are rising here in Florida and the spring crowds are thinning, we are starting to turn our minds to the upcoming summer and slower days and weeks with more down time as a family. April and May are still pretty crazy here but as we wind through the last month or so of "season" here and are still manically busy with work, we are getting ready to enjoy our lake house much more in the coming summer months, I am looking into summer camps for the kids to spruce up their summers, and we are looking forward to an exciting week long family vacation in June to the Island of Turks & Caicos! The interior of our house main living area and family room will get outfitted with crown molding and a fresh (MUCH NEEDED) coat of paint the week we are away, and then I will turn into granpda telling everyone "don't touch the walls and wood work"........(sorry dad, had to get that one in there but now I understand why you always told us that, just be glad you did not have dogs)..........other than that, NO renovations this summer at home. No moves, no major purchases, just relaxation and enjoying the fruits of our labors!!!!! Here are some pictures from the cruise (many are on my i phone and I will have to do a separate i phone post with those photos) and of our time with Mimi and Papa and Jay, and also of our time with the Shermans over this past Easter weekend and our Easter dinner at home at the Moorings.