Canoeing Terra Ceia Bay

Paddling in the bay

Fighting a big one!
Showing off the catch...carefully!
I don't really need to explain what is going on in this picture, do I?
Cassidy and some sea stars!

Randy, Reed, Cassidy and I spent a very enjoyable afternoon in the canoe paddling and fishing around Terra Ceia Bay. The kids were the only ones to catch fish. Cassidy and the Scooby Doo pole conquered many a pinfish and Reed fought and caught 2 rather large hard head catfish with his weenie 4-lb test. I scored a big zero on the fish front, as did the husband, but we did do all the paddling. To my credit, I only asked once how much a 4 horse power engine would cost! Also to my credit, Reed, Cassidy and I came away from the afternoon SUNBURN FREE. One person is not on that list because he was responsible for sunscreening his own knees...'nough said.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Randy and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary today! What an exciting, fun and wonderful 10 years we have had. Randy is, without a doubt, one of the greatest blessings God has given me. He has made me better person, in every facet of my life. I am so thankful for our marriage, for the way he selflessly provides for our family, for the way he parents our children and for the strong Christian leadership he provides in our home. I look forward to all of the adventures the next ...10,20,30,40,50 and 60 years hold.

Cassidy's First Haircut

Cass had a little trouble with the concept of keeping her head still. Overall though, I thought she was great. Sitting still is NOT Cassidy's strong suit!

We finally took Miss Cassidy to get her curly locks trimmed up. She hasn't really needed a haircut until recently. Her hair needed a few layers to "revitalize" her curlies. So, the end result is ...she still looks as cutie as ever. Cassidy, amusingly, was slightly concerned about the poor zebra used to make her cape. The stylist and I had to explain that it was just material with a zebra print on it. In my wisdom, I pointed out that a real zebra hide would have fur on it. Cassidy processed that for a moment and then announced for all to hear, "We have a deer hide at our house with the fur on it. My daddy SHOT it and we ate the meat." I just politely chuckled and said "That's right, Cass." She forgot to add...and it was YUMMY!

The Hillbilly Upgrade

Well, I finally decided it was time to break out the "big" pool for the kiddos! So, we have officially upgraded. And folks...this is as good as it gets at the Blankinship house.

Magic Kingdom - Gram Ava Style!

By the castle with Gram Ava
The Buzz Lightyear ride...a family favorite!
Gram and Cass on the Dumbo ride
I Popsicle break!
Reed was chosen to be Maurice(Belle's papa) during the Story time with Belle presentation. He was so cute!

Mom and I bravely took Reed and Cassidy to Magic Kingdom this past Tuesday (in honor of Becky's birthday...hee hee). We had a great time! The park was not as crowded and the weather was very cooperative...overcast all morning. We were given "DreamPasses" as part of Disney's "Year of a Million Dreams". This lady just handed them to us as we exited the Winnie the Pooh ride. The passes allowed us to go to the front of the line at the more popular rides once and at the time of our choosing instead of having to get a "Fast Pass" with a time slot. It was really cool. Reed rode Space Mountain twice! I took him the first time...I was very nervous for both he and I. I, incidentally, yelled myself hoarse while my 5 year old son laughed his way through the ride. After we rode, we went out and found Mom and Cassidy and then he and Gram Ava went back in to ride it again. It took the ol' Mommy a few minutes to get my "sea legs" back. Cassidy was truly devastated that she didn't get to ride the big roller coaster. She was appeased once we all rode Splash Mountain. By the way, the person sitting in the front of the "log" on the right side is the ONLY one to get really wet...think dripping face and sopping rear. And yes, I KNOW this first hand. All in all, we had a great time! Thanks Mom for going with us!

Reader Reed

Reed is doing so well with his reading! He was very excited to be able to show Gram and Pa his hard-earned skills. Great job, Reed!

Friends and Food

Gram Ava and Cassidy icing my birthday cake
Blowing out ALL those candles!
Talking
More talking

Last night Randy planned a get-together to celebrate my birthday. I was especially pleased that Mom and Dad were here to get more acquainted with our friends from church. I've said it many times, but we feel so blessed to have a church FAMILY here in Florida with our own families so far away. And these people certainly fit that bill. They encourage us, they love our children, they laugh with us (and at our children), they include us in their lives. And we are thankful to them and to Christ who brought us all together. We had a wonderful (loud) time and enjoyed a great meal of fried fish!

Beach Trip

Reed and I are in the background wading into the water.


After Reed's LAST T-ball game(whoo-hoo!) of the season on Saturday, we went out to Coquina Beach. Randy, Paul, Reed, Mom and Dad all swam out to snorkel a while. Cassidy and Lori hung out on the beach and I thouroughly enjoyed myself body surfing and boogie boarding. Then the snorkelers came in and we all competed in body surfing. We had a great time! I must say, I held my own just fine. The only downside was...I may have overdone it a little. I was actually a little creaky on Sunday morning as a result of 2 straight hours of fling myself into waves. Well worth it!

Tasty Trout and T Ball

The catch

The catch - same 4 fish with humans in a different pose

Reed and Dad in the parking lot before the game...enough said!
Batting
Getting his trophy

Sorry for the delay in posting! Randy and Dad caught 4 keeper trout on Friday and we fried them right up for dinner that evening before Reed's T-ball game! Yum-o!

Fun with Gram and Pa!

At Emerson Point
Ready to race Pa Gary on their walk
Probably a hermit crab...Emerson Point
Lunch with Reed
Wednesday evening after they arrived!

We are enjoying Mom and Dad's visit so much. My daily tasks are much more enjoyable when I get to share them! We had a very full day yesterday. Mom, Dad and I went and had lunch with Reed at his school. He was all smiles! After picking Cass up from her preschool, we went over to the Earth Box store and looked around at all they are growing. I bought an Earth Box (happy birthday to me) and Mom bought one too. They are a very effective way to grow anything, but they are really good with tomatoes. Then we went down the road a little ways to a hydroponics farm and got a quick tour and bought some fruits and veggies. Once Randy came home from work, we loaded up and had a picnic dinner at Emerson Point. We also provided a picnic dinner for the "no-see-ums" (teeny biting gnats). We had a great day. As I write this, Randy and Dad are fishing from the canoe out at Emerson Point. Maybe I'll have a fish picture to post later!

My Birthday

Aren't the kiddos cute right after they wake up?!?
Displaying my loot...please note, I did NOT let go of the candy bar!
Randy had to scour the area for my ice cream cake. It was very yummy. Thanks, honey!

I had a great birthday yesterday! Randy was very thoughtful and planned gifts, cards and even an ICE CREAM cake! Please note, the NASCAR travel mug was a GAG gift...I have not gone to "the dark side!" (Sorry, Engles...you know I still love you all!) The skillet on the other hand was a FANTASTIC gift! I have gone to the store and perused all my skillet choices and left empty-handed on many occasions. Now, I don't have to try and decide...my sweetie did it for me! Way to go, Randy! And the fun isn't over yet! My parents arrive today for a visit! We are all very excited! Cassidy has been telling every random stranger we meet that Gram Ava and Pa Gary are coming. I'm sure they were all just as thrilled! I'll be posting pictures of their visit! Thanks to all who sent well wishes my way!

Happy Mother's Day!

I had a very nice Mother's Day today! Actually, I've been showered with gifts starting on Thursday at Cassidy's school and continuing throughout the weekend. Reed gave me all my gifts that he had made at school on Friday. Very cute stuff from both my cuties. Randy brought home flowers on Friday for me to enjoy all weekend...very thoughtful of him! This morning I received some more cards and balloons from Reed and Cassidy. The funny thing is, they came running in with the balloons and big grins hollering, "We got you balloons, Mommy!" But when I reached out to take them, they both looked shocked and said, "Well, we're going to hold them for you." Then Reed announced, "Mother's Day is the BEST day of the year!" Randy has managed a coup de grace...the kids love him for buying balloons and I love him for buying balloons- good thinking on his part...brownie points all around. All in all, a delightful day with my husband, kids and my church family. I am a very blessed woman.

"Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down,

shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap."

Luke 6:38

Cutie Cassidy!

Cassidy's school hosted a Mother's Brunch in honor of Mothers' Day this past Thursday. Yes, I am fully aware that I am 2 days behind, but, as we say in the Blankinship House, "you get what you get and you don't pitch a fit!" Seriously, I kept intending to sit down and post these, but the past few days have been very hectic. Sorry for the delay!

The program was very sweet and Cassidy did a great job. They had some questionnaires for us to fill out to see how well we knew our child. I got quite a few right...including Cassidy's favorite color and future occupation. Many of you could probably guess her answers to these as well. Favorite color (see pictures above): PINK (shocking, I know) and future occupation: PRINCESS! Cassidy, the foremost princess expert in our house, informed me that one becomes a princess by....(drum roll, please) marrying a prince! We'll see about that one.

Momma's Version of Sea World!

The kids have been asking me to set up our big inflatable pool on the porch, but I am NOT ready for the weekly workout of cleaning it! So, I compromised and set up a big tub and a sprinkler in the backyard. They had a good time at our home-grown water park. See, that's my plan: keep their expectations LOW and then I don't have to work as hard! You can see our neighbors big beautiful screened porch...what you can't see is the crystal blue waters of their pool. We haven't ever been invited over...hmm...could we be a little too loud for them? I guess we'll stick to sprinklers and tubs of water in the backyard...its in my genes!

Let Them All Eat...Pancakes!

When Randy works late, we get to eat breakfast for dinner. Yep, it was pancakes, bacon and eggs for dinner at the Blankinship house tonight! And this should put to rest the question of whether or not I have a "creative bone in my body." The answer is....well, you decide. What are those pancakes the kids have? Gotta go...the bath is crying for grimy kids and I'm ready for my favorite time of day...the kids' BED TIME!