Tre's Triops

Tre got "sea monsters" for his birthday from Uncle Gavin and Aunt Jenni. Today I am finally convinced that we actually have one growing. For the past week or so they were so tiny I wasn't sure if they were some other pond creature of just mosquito larvae, but today one miraculously appeared and it's bigger and actually resembles the picture on the poster; although it's obviously not full size yet. They're pretty exciting. Uncle Gavin came over last weekend and helped Tre create this movie of them. He brought it into to share with his class and told me that everyone clapped at the end and his teacher asked if she could keep it for a while. He says she's going to show it to the principal :)

Easter

Joey had an Easter Egg Hunt at school and of course Frankie participated also. Tre had one at his school too but I went later on to participate in the walkathon with him. Our Spring break was packed. We went to BuschGardens and had Tre's birthday. Then we went to Kissimmee and stayed with Greg's parents. Greg's dad flew us to Sebastian where we stayed at Ben's house for the weekend while the kids stayed with Greg's parents. Tre stayed the night at a friends house one evening also. Easter morning we picked the kids up and drove back to Clearwater where their Easter baskets were waiting. They all got new flip flops, some chocolate and a toy/game. I made cupcakes and then we all went to Elsie's for dinner. It was a great spring break over all.

Happy 6th Tre!

Tre had a Birthday party at the house. 7 kids came over (including a few younger siblings) so 10 kids total. We colored eggs, sent the kids to the backyard while we cleaned up. They came in to drinks and snacks and we sang Happy Birthday and had cupcakes. Then everyone went back outside until it was time to leave. They all took their goody bags and colored eggs home and my house and sanity actually stayed in good shape. Tre enjoyed the party and Auntie Syd came over as it was ending, just in time to help me clean up and open presents with Tre.

Gah, I can't keep up!

I still haven't posted pics from Tre's birthday or Easter. I do have about 4 loads of laundry all folded next to me though. It's been a bit hectic here. I'm trying to find new renters for the "Green House." My kids always called our house on Starboard Way, "The Green House." I've also been doing some volunteering at Tre's school and they've had some big events since we're getting closer to the end of the year (walkathon, field day, family fun night...).

Now that it's so nice out, I've been neglecting house work even more. It's just so much more fun to be with the kids in the yard or go on a bike ride. Gardening would have to be my favorite though. I'll mow the lawn and weed over laundry or dishes any day! We planted some flowers in the front the other day to add a bit of color and we started a veggie garden in March. I don't have pictures of my tomato plants yet but here's the rest of it. The kids helped with all of it too.


On the left side of the garden in the first pic is Georgia collards in the back and brussel sprouts up front. Below shows green beans sprouting along that trellis thing in the back. A red bell pepper plant in the middle and some herbs in front.

Below shows my broccoli plant up front and 4 romaine lettuce in the back.


The soil where my kids are standing is blank at the moment. I'm not convinced that it gets enough sun to stick tomatoes there, so I'm not sure what I'll put there. For now my tomatoes are in pots. Look at those 3 crazy kids though... they're so sweet. Technically, I grew them too!

And now, I have to go figure out how to get blackberry yogurt off of a wicker table (courtesy of Frankie)...

Sunny Days

We took a trip to Busch Gardens last Monday. We woke up to breezy and rainy weather but it was perfect. We got to the park just after 9 and it wasn't crowded at all. By the time we got there the rain had stopped and it turned out to be a beautiful day. The new Sesame Street place just opened the weekend before and it was a big hit, especially with the girls. Tre's never been a big fan of the giant characters but at least he's not scared of them. Joey asked where Elmo was from the moment we got there and they loved the show and meeting some of the characters at the end. Joey cried when Elmo disappeared after the show though. It wasn't until just before we left that we realized you could go into a room and meet Elmo and Big Bird and have your pictures taken. Elmo was great- he danced with the kids and hugged and gave high fives. Frankie wouldn't stop hugging him and was so excited, with her mouth wide open.