My Kids & Me

I left the house early today to get a nice long morning of fishing in. We had so many big, big bites, but ran a bit short on luck until Beth arrived. Suddenly Oscar landed two spanish mackerel. The boys called them the Dinner Twins since they were almost identical in size. I filleted them up for dinner, but didn't get to have any since everyone else devoured them. Our friend Sheryl came for a visit as well and had dinner and ice cream with us. We aren't letting her take any of the kids.

The boys and I went fishing for a few hour this morning and they caught a grouper and a red snapper (both were too small to keep). We had tons of bites and saw several VERY LARGE fish right at the dock, but couldn't get them to bite, even if we stuck the bait right on front of their nose. Do fish sleep? Beth hung out with Henry and Elizabeth and we met up at the pool after lunch. We walked to Sea Critters for dinner. I raced home with Michael and Oscar (on scooters...I rode Elizabeth's) because there was a nasty storm coming. Yes, we did go pick up the rest of the gang. One more day of vacation...good day for the beach expected.

We made a last minute decision to go to Sea World on Wednesday. I would highly recommend going anywhere in Florida for vacation in the middle of September. There was NO ONE there. We were right on all of the rides and had no problem getting good seats for the shows.

Monday was much like Sunday. Mid 80s, no humidity, calm/cool waters, a beach all to ourselves...what more could you ask for? We picked a perfect week! We also went back to our old stomping grounds at Eckerd and had great visits with Dr. Johnston and Dr. Kerr. It's been 14 years since we've seen them. The kids were even relatively well behaved. PHEW! We left a decent impression at least.

Vacation started on Saturday for Beth, Oscar, Henry and Big Daddy, but Michael, Elizabeth and I didn't make it until Sunday. Elizabeth had a soccer game and then Michael had a football game which meant we didn't leave the house until around 5:30. Elizabeth was constantly asking me if I was awake and Michael game me back massages...pretty good deal! We made it to Lake City before spending the night; I just couldn't go on. Sunday was a beautiful day!

Michael's team won their season opener 14-0 and Michael had a big part in the outcome. He played a few plays at tight end and got good blocks in on both touchdowns, but his star shined when he made two touchdown savings tackles. The first was on the last play of the 1st half. He ran from the opposite side of the field (cornerback) all the way towns the end zone before pushing the ball carrier out of bounds. The 2nd was near the end of the game. He was being blocked 2 on 1, fought around the first block and dove for the legs of the runner. Down he went! Another touchdown saved. We're so proud!

Michael's last pre-season football game was this past Saturday. It was my first chance to see him play for real and I was quite proud. He has worked his tail off and while he hasn't played a whole lot yet, he does seem to be enjoying it. We just need him to get meaner! I guess that's a good problem to have. His first regular season game is on Saturday. Ma, Big Daddy and Aunt Jules are all coming over. I wonder if Big Daddy wants to tailgate??

School started for the older kids on August 5th (Yes...August 5th!). Michael is entering the 4th grade and O & E are in 3rd (they have the same teacher that Michael had last year). Mr. Henry started two weeks later and was apparently pretty upset about being dropped off, but then didn't want to leave at the end of the day. He's now so excited to see Mrs. Schaeffer (it's so cute the way he says it) that he's stripping off the seat belt as soon as Beth pulls in the parking lot. What a gem!

A month and a half late, but here are some pictures from Elizabeth's birthday party. The party theme was tie dye and the girls all made their own shirts. Of course, each of the boys wanted to make their own.