Stingray Island

We took the boat last weekend to a HUGE sand dune that Rick had spotted from the air. It's on Gulf Breeze and is on the bay side

No it's not the Lord of the Flies, it's Queen of Sting Ray Island. We could only get to this island from boat and now that we discovered it, I think it may be our new hangout. That's our boat in the background of the photo

As we got closer to the island, the kids could already see what would make this island their favorite location....... THE ROPE SWING

This is a huge sand hill that goes all the way down to the water below and the swing goes way out and over the hillside

Rick took the kids up the hill to the swing, and I had Adeline walking along the waters edge looking at hermit crabs, sand pipers and driftwood. The water was really quite cold, but of course there were a lot of people in tubes floating, on jet skis and just swimming. As you can tell from Reece's shirt, it was pretty chilly that day. On the ride home the wind was in our faces and we were all freezing!

As we approached the island we saw 1 sting ray, then another and another. The jet ski enthusiasts were chasing them, but we pulled up alongside one and decided to film him. The water was really shallow as we approached the shore, and they were everywhere. Really cool

Butter Thief

I set out this stick of butter to soften so I could make cookies. When I go to reach for it later, it's GONE. I looked and looked, thinking I had lost my mind, so I just used another stick of butter. I later find this in the playroom in the train table. Now all 3 of my kids LOVE butter, you should see them at Panera Bread with the butter packs all over the table licking the insides and dipping each bite of bread into the creamy goodness. But using deduction and mommy logic, I found the culprit in Little A. Hey that girl needs all the empty calories she can get. Lick away Addie, I'll find the queso dip for you to dunk this butter stick into and then we'll bread it and deep fry it like Paula Deen would do.

Riding on the Range or the school yard

Western Day at Reece's Preschool kicked off this week. They got to meet Cowboy Don, become an official deputy and then ride on 2 small male horses that were dressed as girls. I think they were giving the ponies complexes, maybe we'll be seeing them on the Tyra show next month.

Reece was NOT happy about riding the horses. He got the prettier of the 2 if I must say so. His name was Little Prince, but looked more like Little Princess. There was glitter on his rump and mane and bows in his hair. If I put a bow in Reece's hair I'm sure the face would be the same as below.

I literally had to manhandle him onto the pony and promise a small McDonalds toy if he rode it around the grassy field

Well Little Prince I'm thinking that you and Tiny Tim( the other horse) are a side show act kinda like Penn and Teller or Siegfried and Roy, where gender is a non issue

What do you do when the weatherman says 80% chance of rain?

So instead of sitting inside, you have lunch outdoors

Do Yoga on the water

Listen to Irish Ballads while watching sweaty adults eat Barley Stew and consume large quantities of Irish Wakes and Green Beer

Throw sand in your own hair

Do cartwheels in the sand until you can't see straight

Next year I am totally getting either a Storm Troopers costume or a Giant Shamrock and will run the race being chased by the Marines chanting jodies all the way to the finish line

"Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies!?"

This phrase was shouted to every person exiting Lowes yestrday afternoon, including the staff helping people carry heavy things to their cars. The girls could've cared less if they had already asked the employees 10 times, they would ask them eleven. I think they had as much fun goofing off as they did harrassing cutomers. But hey, who can't resist buying cookies from these adorable kiddos? We ran out of the Caramel Delights pretty quickly and people were asking to buy the boxes off our sign. Sorry people, those boxes were emptied at home and are in our tummies. See you next week Lowes same place different time.

A day in the life of Moxie Crimefighter Parrish

Sleep on someones face or as close to it as I can - Rick claims she is stealing the kids breath

Act crazy and mad with my tiny nub tail flicking back and forth

Have someone else push you around the house, why walk when you can go in luxury

Attack the largest animal in the house other than your owners. Why not launch myself at the 23 pound mutant that resembles a small bovine, but has a female voice. Yes that's Gatsby, for those of you who remember, this is the cat who was stuck 40 feet up in a tree in our old neighborhood, until Rick saved him with a 20 foot pole and a laundry basket. This little scenario plays out at least 10 times a day under the bed, on our bed while we are trying to sleep, in the living room, you name it..... The vet told us Moxie will keep Big Gatty young

FACT

I have witnessed these things in cry rooms during church


Only a Mother: Only a mother would get out a wet wipe, clean snot off her sons face and then proceed to use the SAME wet wipe to slick down his rooster tail in his hair- poor kid, I bet his face smells like mom spit too when he has something sticky stuck to his cheek and it needs to come off


Only a Father: This happened a year ago in Robin's church in Washington state. I was in the cry room with Adeline while she was out in the main church for Marjorie's baptism mass. A 1 year old boy leaned against the wall while he proceeded to download the brown file, and then stumble fall on his bum, stumble fall, stumble fall, UNTIL I'm sure the poo was no longer contained to just the diaper. I had been holding my sleeve against my nose for the last 5 minutes, AND finally the Dad, says " Dude Malachi. Dude! No crap buddy, Dude is right take that kid out to be changed. But no he lets us all know that he has no diapers and just continues to say " Dude Malachi every couple of minutes, just as a courtesy to all of our burned out olfactory glands.