Before bed....

Doesn't everyone try on their snorkel gear before bed?!?

We LOVE Baby Andrew!

Reed and Andrew were just chillin' out in the chair.

I hadn't noticed just how many patterns the 2 of them were wearing: plaid, stripes and camo!

And no, I have NOT successfully convinced Reed that camo doesn't "go" with everything.

2 cuties!
Look at those smiles!

Baby Andrew comes and stays at our house a couple of days a week for a few hours. And we couldn't be happier! We all love him (and his mom and dad). And he's super cute too!

Easter 2009

Instead of a bunny cake, I made Easter egg cupcakes.

Thanks Debbie for the cool Pampered Chef squeezy icing things!

Decorating eggs.

The finished product.

Easter morning goodies.

Reed was VERY happy to get a pair of plaid shorts...and I'm not

even kidding.

Hunting eggs.

Note to Gran Debbie and Pa David: He loves the soccer outfit!

Cassidy hunting for eggs.

And notice my legs in the background...see, I really was there!

Full baskets = happy kids!

(and maybe a slight weight gain for the mom who couldn't resist

the peanut butter eggs!)

I didn't get a single picture of the kids in their Sunday "finery". Oops. But we did document the egg decorating and hunting and such...that should count for something!

And seeing as how we don't own enough dress clothes to never repeat an outfit, I'll try to remember to snap a picture the next time they are wearing their Easter outfits again!

Busch Gardens during Spring Break

Playing in the water at Busch Gardens.

Yep, she was COLD, but not willing to get out.

Soaking wet and very happy Reed.

Look Aunt Becky, we posed with a
flamingo...who did, despite my poor picture, have a head!

I love this picture! Look at my happy son!

I keep thinking I need to post, but then I get distracted by some other more pressing need...think dinner or clean socks! And so days and then more days and then a week goes by and I haven't posted any new pictures of my two cutie pies!

Well, that is about to end. Randy is fishing this morning, the kids are eating their breakfasts while watching TV and I am ...on the computer! So I'm going to do 3 posts this morning!

We haven't had any really exciting adventures lately, but life is good and we are happy. That is bound to be better than exciting!

Oh - Reed is VERY excited that there are only 6 weeks of school left! YEAH!

Potentially, we look ALOT "campy"

Our kids and the kids from the campsite next to us enjoying pancakes and BACON!
Nothing says red neck like your dog on a big piece of card board.

Did I mention we (dare I say...I) looked "campy"? But notice

the very happy smile

(and it isn't just because I'm wearing a Harding shirt..,I say Harding - you say GREAT!)
Kung Fu Reed
Loving the trees!

My favorite people in the WHOLE WORLD!

We had a great weekend camping in central Florida about 10 days ago. It was the maiden voyage of "The Rio" (our name for our pop up camper). And boy, the AC really makes Mommy nap time in the afternoon AWESOME!

All in all, it was a very successful trip. There MAY have been a few MINOR hiccups along the way.

I did forget trash bags and we only had 2 Almaty bags TOTAL...and we had a dog to clean up after for 3 days...2 bags and 3 days...not a good situation. The irony of this is that I have continual guilt of the ENORMOUS mound of Wal Mart bags stashed in the garage. I keep meaning to take them back to the store to recycle them (although I have my suspicions, completely unfounded of course, that they don't really recycle them, but just pretend like they do, but I digress), but I keep forgetting to put them in the car. Just like all those nice reusable bags Mom buys me when she's out here. They, too, never seem to make it into the store. Hence, my guilt. THOUSANDS of Wal Mart bags...and I have NO trash bags for all our trash and a very volatile doggie mess situation. My Prince Charming saved the day and made a run into town for bags!

Prince Charming also had to get out of bed at 3AM on Saturday night to pick up all of the garbage the raccoons spread around our site. Did our ferocious beast of a dog alert us to their presence? No, she was too busy snoring in the air conditioning with us to hear or smell a raccoon. Nope, the rascals gave themselves away with a growling hissing fight. But they didn't manage to get into the cooler and steal my bacon so all was okay.

So we deemed our trip a success and we are already trying to find another weekend to plan a get away!

Oh, yes you are!

Cassidy wasn't very pleased with all of our dinner selections.

Randy and I were really struggling to hide our smiles as she tried repeatedly to get out of eating.

She ended up at the table all by herself as we had all finished dinner and cookies. I couldn't resist taking a few pictures of lonely little self.

She did manage to finish the bare minimum required to get down from the table before I finished the dishes. I guess she decided that eating her one plantain was better than having to go straight to bed from the dinner table.

And yes, she is wearing her bathing suit at the dinner table. She wore her bathing suit...all afternoon. At one point, she had on floaties and an Ariel swim ring (those were not allowed at the table for obvious reasons). She was ready to go swimming...it is 60 degrees outside and windy. Her Mom's common sense prevailed and poor Cass just got to wear her swimsuit today and NOT use it.

Fun, Fun and more Fun!

Sifting flour for the angel food cake.
At Reed's ball game. Go yellow!

Team Blankinship

On the tower at Emerson Point

My beautiful kids...and a lizard.

Reed and lizard...kind of like PB&J.

Looking over Terra Ceia Bay.

Team Blankinship was VERY excited to have Uncle Mark and Aunt Tamra out for a visit last weekend! And we all managed to have a great time even though the weather didn't really cooperate.

Thanks for coming guys! We love y'all (Oh no, Tam! I can't remember where the apostrophe is supposed to go!!!)!