Pink Items for Baby

My sweet neighbor is letting us use her baby swing. I am really excited about this swing. It does so many things. 16 songs, 6 modes of speed, lights in the shape of butterflies, actual pink stuffed butterflies that are on the mobile...ahhhhh Oh, and two directional swinging patterns. This swing is ready for any kind of soothing that a tired parent could ever dream of. I look forward to trying it out with my baby.

Have I mentioned to you in a while that I am SO over this pregnancy? Yeah, I'm 7 months on August 3rd and I am ready for October to be here! I am ready for it to be over for two of the obvious reasons.

1. I am having a girl!!!! I have had two boys and I am so ready for the challenge of a new gender in this house to mix things up again.

We go to all kinds of BOY places, I'm so ready to start dragging them to some girl places or at least have someone to go with me to a girl place...

2. I am SO over this pregnancy! Now I know that I mentioned it because...it's right up there a few sentences. Wait...did you miss it again? I'm so over being the pregnant one.

But really how cute is this swing? It also has the option of being a plug in swing and not operated with batteries. If you have been a parent you know what a pain it can be to reach for a soothing item for a crying baby only to find it on it's last leg of battery juice.

So onward upward and outward I go...I am brave...I can keep this bun in the oven and keep getting bigger and stretched far far far far out. I will continue making the babies room look pink and get it ready for this tiny baby who is coming our way.

Celebration Time of the Evening

Sunset is my most favorite time of the day. I love how the sky looks so beautiful in all the different colors; blues, blacks, reds, yellows and whites.

How amazed I am by sunsets.

I love this time of the day too.

It is a time of the day where rest is near and family time is taking place. Dinner is being prepared and shared with loved ones, the work day is over and everyone starts to unwind. What an awesome thing to happen daily!

The sun sets and we are ready to stop our day and take it's beauty all in.

When we visited Hawaii the time of the sunset marked the beginning of the evenings celebration.

Texas Windmill

Flag on the hill

A burst of color

Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico

Where do you most enjoy sunsets? Do you have a favorite time or place for sunsets? Is there a sunset that you remember most? Share it with me, I'd love to know about it.

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Up close View of the Endangered Wild

What an amazing thing my friend from High School got to witness. I just had to share this.

She and her family had planned to watch the shuttle launch, but there was a problem with the weather which unfortunately delayed the launch.

Instead, what they got to witness was to me truly more amazing.

I don't know what these people's titles would actually be... The Local Turtle People? The Turtle Protection Program People? The Walt Disney Magical Moments Turtle Release Program? What? I don't know, but the only people I know that can top a shuttle launch would be Disney, so maybe they were representing the Florida Tourism Board and they were called in, "Cue the turtles!"

These are the three pictures I "borrowed" from her that don't actually have her children along with strangers in complete awe.

Isn't this just so amazing?

If only Jeff Corwin was around to do some narration about the life of a sea turtle and it's beginnings.

Just How Many Pictures Must Be Taken?

I got this little boy blue outfit for my toddler and just had to have a photo of him in it. I tried many things to get his attention and interest for a second so I could snap just one picture of him in his cute little outfit. I would love a framed photo of him in it maybe an oil painting that could be something to pass down to his family one day. All I need is a still toddler. So how many clicks did it take to get this one picture?



I just gave up. I'm thinking I will just take the outfit to the artist, take a picture that his is looking halfway at the camera, then one that he is standing in a heirloom painting stance and just piece that painting together.

Toddler....work with me here!

The Other Man, Well Let Me Explain

There are not that many men that will make me run out the door to greet him when I hear him pull up.

I adore my husband and I do miss him very much when he is gone from me. Do I run out of the door and greet him with excitement like I have not seen him in years, no... I do smile and feel a nice relief when I see his face. Sort of like a team mate or superman's arrival... a greetings of a sigh, a yeah and a kiss.

I adore my daddy and I love when I see his smiling face anytime I get to see him, but I don't run out of the door crazed with heart racing...

No that racing heart and crazed feeling is for one person only....

The Ice Cream Man!

I don't know what it is about the bell and songs that he plays but it pushes me into high gear and turns me into a bit of a freak.

I could be asleep, reading a book, or talking to a depressed friend...but once I hear the ice cream man's truck...all things stop and my focus changes within seconds.

So the Ice Cream Man shows up on our street this week and I once again turned into a 7 year old.

I sprung up from the couch. I rushed to the "just in case the ice cream man shows up some day this summer we will have change ready" jar and emptied it onto the counter and began picking out the quarters.

I ran out the door and barked orders from over my shoulder about the dogs and the children.... something along the lines of... blah blah blah, don't let the dogs escape, baby might need to be watched while sitting in a highchair....blah blah blah... I have to go and meet this guy now he is ringing his secret ring just for me... it's been nice, gotta go...

I love him. Well, the 7 year old me does and my 8 year old son is starting to act just like me.

On this visit from the ice cream man, my son was rushing around the house for his shoes and yelled... "I cannot find my Ice Cream Man"! I just laughed and laughed. We both took each others hands and leaped off the steps, sort of stopped mid air Jedi Knight style and did a high five before we landed right in front of the ordering window.

I hope that I raise my kids right and one of them makes Ice Cream Man their occupation. Every family needs a Doctor, Lawyer and an Ice Cream Man.

Sleep, My Favorite Activity

Sleep is one of my favorite things to do. I really do miss it so much during the day. From the moment I wake up my mental clock starts to count down to the hour in which I can return to the full body sprawl in my soft comfy bed. All day I cannot wait to get back into the bed and sleep some more.

I love to sleep.

I miss sleep.

I crave sleep.

I have been sleeping for years, so why I can't I sleep anymore?

Have I just lost my touch?

I have now added the Tylenol PM Sleep Tracker iPhone APP to my life. I have also downloaded the "How to get ready for sleep" and "How to make an environment more inviting to sleep in" from that same website.

Sleep is what we do as humans, it's basic we eat, work, sleep, repeat.

One reason I want to get this lack of sleep under control is because I am 6 months pregnant with my third child, and I am quickly approaching the newborn boot camp survival training sleep depravation stage of parenthood.

(Nooooooooooo, I don't wanna.....)

I have been searching for a solution to cure my pre- slumber deprived days.

The following recipe was taken from Tylenol PM's advertisement to be added as a healthy sleep inducing snack. I'm gonna give it a try along with:

*buying a small fan to add white noise,

*buying a humidifier to add moisture, so I wake with no scratchy throat,

* turn or cover my clock,

* dim my lights a few hours before bed,

* take a warm bath,

* install dark curtains,

* buying an upgraded mattress,

* buying high thread count sheets,

* paint the wall soothing a color, (apparently, white noise is ok, but white walls are bad)

* buying upgraded pillows

and last but not least,

* birth this growing child who makes sleeping in any position a very hard thing to do.

I guess after taking all of their suggestions and things are still not working for me, or if it is just too much trouble to make all of those changes I can always just pop a pill... lol

First things first for a pregnant woman though, FOOD!

Lullaby Muffins

They claim that Between the honeyed touch of sweetness, these muffins are practically an edible lullaby. (I guess if the edible lullaby doesn't work then there is always their edible Tylenol PM pill right? hahaha)

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/3 cup applesauce

2 large, very ripe bananas

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup milk or soy milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flour (make sure it’s whole-wheat "pastry" flour or you’ll produce golf balls, not muffins), salt, and

baking powder.

3. In a blender, puree the bananas; add the

applesauce, honey, and milk. Blend well.

4. Pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until

just moistened.

5. Line muffin tins with paper muffin cups, pour in batter, and bake 30 minutes or until tops are light brown and slightly springy.

Makes 12 low-fat muffins.

July 4th America's Holiday

There is just no other holiday like July 4th in America. Everywhere I have been in this country to celebrate this day there has been friends, flags, fireworks and food.

My family loves to join the many others that flock to where there is live music playing and spread out a picnic dinner and wait for the fireworks to begin. I especially love when the music is in sync with the fireworks and "the bombs bursting in air..." has an impact with each pulse of the importance to the near ending of The Star Spangled Banner.

(sing it with me now...oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave.....for the land of the freeeeee and the home of that brave......) I love that! Then on the 4th we add the fireworks and I am almost in tears from patriotism, sigh, anyway.

This year we went to meet up with our family at their home near the beach and enjoyed our favorites; live symphonic music, food including a fresh cold watermelon, fireworks over the water and flags for the children to wave and learn to respect.

I'm proud of what our founding fathers stood for and how they died for our freedom. But who would have thought that we would come to a point in society that saying

"God Bless the USA" would actually become a political statement?

Political or not I am thankful for the blessings and I hope He will continue to bless the USA!

America's Farmers ROCK

I am pregnant. I think we all can see that. All of my life I have been a vegetable lover. But put the love of veggies and being preggers together... we've got trouble! I have lustful fantasies over the things. So here at the beach during our vacation there are stands after stands of these vegetable and fresh fruit just waiting to be eaten. I'm in heaven, ahhhh.

Oh, but add the bionic nose that I posses along with being pregger then let me tell you there is no peach, tomato, or corn on the cob that is safe around me, ahhhhh.

I stopped at Hazel's Market on the side of the road and found true love. I also tried boiled peanuts. Have you ever tried one of these? You have to if you have not~ Take it from me...a preggie gal. They are to die for and you cannot eat just one!

Baby at the Bay

Why is it so fun to watch our kids visit something for the first time. All eyes are on them and cameras pointed in their direction. Is it because we know they are going to just love it and we cannot wait to share in their delight?

Well, we are at the beach/bay now and my toddler got a chance to visit the water and sand for the first time. We just arrived and had to make a quick visit for the sunset and those first reactions.

He loved it! We shot almost 300 pictures of the boys and this visit. I'm sure we captured some good ones in there.

Such a fun time.