Pictures of Mom2 & Dad2's Visit

Well, the In Laws have come and gone. Its so funny how in the middle of the trip it started to feel long for them and us, but by the time the end is here, you are wishing it was a little bit longer. We had a very nice visit with them. And I think they enjoyed their visit here. Mike and Caleb picked them up from the airport Oct 28th. Caleb was so excited to go and get them, so I was a tiny bit surprised when they walked in the door and said that he NEVER said a word to them. I don't know why, but for some reason both of the boys are quiet around adults. Until they get to know you that is. Which soon became apparent to Gramma and Grumpa. By the end of the first week, Caleb was Mr. ChatterBox. Zachary did OK, but he never really opened up much to them. But that is pretty much his personality, and nothing personal. The Kitties sure found them interesting tho. One cat, PeekABoo kept stealing Grammas socks and knit hat. And they all found Grumpas lap was soft and warm.

Happy Halloween! Caleb was a Fireman, and Zachary was Nemo...Again... He likes to wear his costumes 2 years in a row. Thats OK tho, since it saves money! They trick or treated with their friends Avery and Cooper. We had a Halloween Party, well, I should say Christina and her friends had a Halloween Party. There were dozens of kids that showed up. I'd guess about 40-50 friends. Mike and I also had some friends over. My co-worker Diane, her hubby and their 2 sons (16 & 22) and our Scottish friend, Lynne came over as well. A few parents dropped their kids off, and they stayed and visited as well. It was a lot of fun, and a great turn out! But for some reason, we were all too busy talking to get any pics of the party! Mike had to work down in Boynton Beach area, so his parents were able to go along and visit a friend of theirs, Julio, who lives in the Miami area. They also went to the Keys for a night. They were gone for a few days. I set Dad2 up with a BLOG of his own, since he normally writes Diaries of all their trips. He is a wonderful story teller, so I encourage you to read his BLOG at http://brownsblather.blogspot.com/

These pictures will go with his stories. Watch out for the Alligator!! Sunset at Key West Key West is so pretty! This is the view from the hotel room. The hotel is in the distance. This is at the museum in St. Lucie County. This house is over 100 years old. Mike and I took the boys there this past summer. (Zachary's birthday blog) His parents had a great time seeing Mike at work, (see he really DOES work!)

We took them to Cocoa Beach, along with 2 of Christina's friends. We all had a great day watching the "kids" play in the water! Yes, that IS Grumpa holding up his shorts. heehee! Im not sure who is having more fun. Caleb or Grumpa? Christina and her friends had fun feeding the birds our left over chips and sandwich crumbs. They were taking it right out of their hands! Again, for the detailed story, check out dad2's blog. In this picture, Caleb is singing "You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine" to me. How SWEET is he?! Here we are taking a Boat Cruise around Winter Park, which is only about a 15 min drive west of our house. I had no idea it was there until my clients told me about it. It is several lakes, with canals running between them. It reminded Mike and I of Paradise Valley on the water. Check out Dad2's blog for his take on this trip! I wonder what this beautiful house cost? 2 million and up I imagine. Here is one of the canals going under the street. Here they are at Jungle Adventures! Caleb was brave this time and touched the snake and alligator, but not Zachary! Go figure. Christina's school did so well on their FCAT's that they became, not just an 'A' school, but an 'A+' school. So they had a big celebration, that was fun to attend. We had the Ducks visit us again. They know we normally throw them our stale tortilla chips, or old food from the fridge. This day, we threw them carrots, celery, and potatoes. They did NOT like the veggies, and started booking it out of there. So I found some old tortilla chips from the Halloween Party, and they were much happier. What picky things! In the middle of all this, Zachary lost his 2nd tooth! The tooth fairy left him money and fairy dust on his bed and floor. The next day, him and Avery gathered up as much of the glitter as they could, sprinkled themselves with it, and tried to fly. Gramma and Grumpa got to visit Zacharys school several times for lunch, after picking up Caleb. Nice face Zachary! One evening, when Mike and his parents were down south, I was in the family room and saw movement on the patio. EWWWW!! It is HUGE! Normally, I like to keep our screen door closed, but sometimes NASCAT is still out, so we have it slightly open for him. Caleb loves to wear his hats. This is one from Mama Ginny and Papa Bill. He loves to play dress up. Here he is pretending to be a Police Officer. The night stick is his popsicle. This was our last dinner together. Christina babysat while Mike and I took them to one of our favorite restaurants on the Indian River. Which is on the west side of the 'spit' of the Atlantic Ocean. Good food, great company, beautiful view. Yep. This is why we live here. Although Mikes parents left before the Space Shuttle launch, I thought I'd add this picture in here. We stepped outside just before countdown, and saw a most beautiful sight. Right when the rockets started up, the sky turned bright orange, then the shuttle lifted off. We had such a great view, right in our yard. We could see the shuttle until it disappeared behind trees about 3 minutes later. What an awesome spectacular sight. Everyone in the cul-de-sac came out to enjoy it. 9 more launches to go, before its possible retirement, but this may be the last Night time liftoff. (I don't know why.) There are lots of pictures, but you should defintely read BrownsBlather to get a more detailed account of their vacation here.

12 Staples!!

WARNING!!! THE FOLLOWING PICTURES ARE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART Sunday, Mikey and the boys were playing outback in the blowup swimming pool. They were running around chasing each other. Mikey and Zachary were throwing a big wet beach towel at each other trying to soak the other one. Zachary tossed it at Mikey, then starting running. Mikey tossed the towel back at Zachary. It landed on him, covering his head. The momentum of a heavy wet towel, and his running, caused him to fall forward and hit his head on the screen door metal frame. (this is a reenactment picture)

This is the wound. We took this picture after the nurse rinsed and rinsed and rinsed it.

Then they stapled it shut. TWELVE times! Zachary was sooooooo brave. I can't even tell you how surprised we were at how well he took everything at the Urgent Care Clinic. He cried of course when it happened, but soon stopped. The nurse had to shampoo his head and then rinsed it for about 5 minutes. Not once did he cry. The nurses and Dr could not believe how well he took everything. They had The Incredibles playing on a TV in the patient room, and he just kept right on watching the movie. Other than being cold, he never complained. The reason this post took me so long to write is because I have a 2nd job. Yes, you read it correctly. A 2nd job! The lady I share a station with came over on Friday night with her family for dinner and drinks (we had a great time!) and said she was doing manicures on ladies getting mammograms, and would I like to help her? So I said yes! We work at the salon from 9-3, then head over to Lake Mary and do mini manicures from 3:30 till 7:30 at a Medical Imaging Center. It has been alot of fun! The women come in, and most are nervous, but they get a glass of wine, cheesecake petite fours, mini sub sandwiches, we file their nails, push back cuticles, give them a hand massage, and paint their nails. They also enter a drawing for a big goody bag. I also paint the little pink breast cancer awareness ribbon on if they want (they all do). I guess the new mammogram is a digital one, and nothing like the old one which flattens your breast. So by the time they leave, they have had a mammogram and been pampered. And everyone of them has been wonderful to chat with. Hopefully future clients!