Fall.
It's finally here!
The most anticipated change in weather that makes you feel a little more compelled to spend the entire day outside. The beautiful blue skies and the [slightly] cooler temperatures. The absolutely no humidity factor and the zero percent probability of precipitation forecasts.
These are the days when we feel fortunate to live in Florida!
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| A glorious day at the community dock on Lake Apopka. |
Highlights of the week:
- Last Friday after picking Braelyn up from school we happened upon the largest (or at least, so they claim) pumpkin patch in Orlando. It was on the grounds of some church on a road near Florida Hospital, just a few miles away from the academy. So I thought it would be nice to swing in and at least take some pictures with the orange gourds. They wanted to buy the big ones, priced at $35 each, but I stood firm, finally settling for them to get a small pumpkin each.
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| A quick photo op with the pumpkins! |
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| Searching for the perfect pumpkin. |
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| Looks like a couple have found theirs... |
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| Going home with ones much, much smaller. |
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| Brae using cookie cutters to carve hers with Mommy. |
- Sabbath we headed to church, it was the start to such a glorious weekend. And to take advantage of the weather I took a 10 mile bike ride while the family took their naps. Afterwards we met with some friends at Chapin Station Park so the kids could all play, heading home when Lolo and Lala arrived for the weekend. They were nice enough to let Tangie and I go out for a little us time; we went to the Verizon store to get me a little phone upgrade (it's on back order and won't arrive until Nov. 16) and then we had some Starbucks while catching up and reading magazines at Barnes & Noble. It. Was. So. Nice.
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| The twins helping to clean up the Fall leaves in Sabbath School. |
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| This part of the program has become one of their favorites. |
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| All brown this week! |
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| Intently focused on their desserts! |
- Sunday morning I met Lolo at the tennis courts and we played several sets together; he kicked my butt again. Note to self:
Need toMust work on my forehand. Afterwards I went to work on the yard ~ mowing, trimming, edging, cutting the hedges and spreading fertilizer on the lawn, I ended up finishing it all in just under 7 hours! Meanwhile, Tangie and Lala took the kids for a walk down to play at the clubhouse, and then naps for them after lunch. We took the children to Sea World for a quick trip to Trick or Treat, and then supper at Whole Foods before our exhausted crew got back home to crash.
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| Kohl helps me push the lawn mower. |
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| Maddy was Cinderella, Kohl a fire truck, and Brae a parrot. |
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| Enjoying Sea World's Halloween Spooktacular. |
- Like I said, this week has been just amazing weather wise, that we've spent most of the mornings and afternoons in our yard doing projects and cleaning/weeding. Aside from Maddy's unfortunate mishaps on Tuesday this week was pretty low key. Tangie took Braelyn to Adventurer's Wednesday evening and on Thursday night the Grodacks came over for some pizza but other than that it's been pretty standard.
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| Couldn't pass up a beautiful morning to spend at the park. |
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| Yes, it is that much fun! |
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| Afternoon trip to the library, they immediately went straight to the computers! |
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| Exploring the yard and helping Daddy with weeding. |
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| I walked in on Wednesday morning to find Kohlden almost half naked. |
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| Brae and Calleigh working on their crafts during Adventurer's. |
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| A quick squeeze at Costco! |
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| More back seat shenanigans. |
Injuries of the week:
- Tuesday was a problematic day for Maddy. It just wasn't her day. In the morning she and her brother were playing in the front yard while I was weeding. I had told them to bring some toys outside to play with and so they did, she coming out with both hands full. Of course, when you trip and can't catch yourself with your hands, then your knees get the full brunt of the fall. Then later in the evening after supper I gave them some time to play in the backyard before baths and the bedtime routine. They were all playing in different areas, Maddy playing with a tennis ball in the middle of the yard. All of a sudden she's crying and screaming "Ants!" and holding up her arms. I quickly rushed to her, finding both arms swarming with fire ants. Apparently she rolled into an ant pile I hadn't seen previously when working on the yard on Sunday. So I frantically brushed them off her arms, but they had done their dirty deed. Poor girl, the bites on her arms swelled up so big. Luckily, she didn't show any signs of allergic reactions: hives, rashes, shortness or difficulty of breathing. She was so brave! I gave her children's ibuprofen for the pain and Googled home remedies to help with the swelling ~ they said ice would help stem it. So I called Tangie to take her to the doctor just as a precaution, while I dealt with the other two cranky kids who were a little upset that they couldn't accompany Maddy to the doctor's. They were so worried for her! The doctor said that she was fine and prescribed Zyrtec for the swelling, final count of bites were 13 on her right arm, 17 on her left arm, and 2 on her left leg. I guess it could've been worse, but what a scare! She's doing good and we're keeping the arms hydrocortisoned and wrapped up to keep her from scratching!
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| Showing off her new knee pads. |
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| Watching her arms swell up. |
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| That just looks so painful! |
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| Very concerned siblings give her comfort and support while she takes some pain medication with an ice pack on her bites. So sweet! |
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| Very sad they couldn't go along with her to the doctor's! |
Random:
- As I was working on the yard I heard some sirens really close by, and again assumed that they were coming from inside the subdivision. Later in the afternoon as I was driving out I saw that this car had hit a tree on the main drive inside the community, just past our street! It was a good enough crash that it crushed the front and deployed the airbags. Yikes!
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Dish of the week:
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| Torched Mahi Mahi with Asparagus and Carrots. |
Quotes:
- Braelyn woke up real early one morning and crawled into our bed, just before it was time for Tangie's alarm to go off. So while she waited for Mommy to get ready we had a very groggy conversation. Unfortunately this is all I could remember:
Me: "Brae, can I ask you a question?"
Brae: [Sounding exasperated] "Again?!"
- We were heading home from picking Braelyn up from school when the song Not Over You by Gavin McGraw came on the radio. In one of the lyrics he sings: "I would lie and say that you're not on my mind." Of course, she heard the word "lie" and says:
Brae: "He said lie. That's not a very nice word, right Daddy?"
Me: "Right. And we don't lie."
Brae: "Is he an adult?"
Me: "Yes."
Brae: "I know who's telling him to lie. Satan!"
Me: "That's right!"
Brae: "Satan comes and whispers in his ear to lie!"
Me: "Yes, we have to be careful not to listen to Satan."
Brae: "Daddy, if Satan whispers in my ear, can I shove him and punch him?"
Me: "Well...um..."
Hmmm. Try explaining that one!
- I cannot wait until the Election; the numerous random campaign calls are starting to get annoying. We've been hammered all week by campaigners calling for support. Still, I quite enjoy giving them a run for my time:
Caller: [Male] "Hello? This is so and so with the Republicans something or
other."
Me: "Yes?"
Caller: "Can we count on your support for Mitt Romney in this upcoming
election?"
Me: "You already have."
Caller: "Oh, so you've voted?"
Me: "Um, no. The election still isn't for a couple of weeks!"
Caller: "But you can fill out an absentee ballot. I can mail you one if you need
it."
Me: "But then how can I get a sticker that says 'I voted?' I can't get a sticker if I
send an absentee ballot!"
Caller: "Um..."
Me: "I want that sticker. Don't deny me my sticker!"
Caller: "Oh...okay. Well...thank you?"
Me: "No, thank you!"
Love it.
- I was heading into Publix for some groceries and I had all three riding in the cart, when an elderly man saw me on his way out. This was the exchange:
Man: "Wow. You've got your hands full!"
Me: "Tell me about it. And this is just half of the crew!"
Man: [Stunned] "Wh...wh...what?"
Me: "The triplets are back at home."
Man: [Processing, then tenderly puts his hand on my shoulder and whispers]
"God bless you sir..."
Yes indeed. God bless us all!
Have a lovely weekend!
