The Case of the Missing Undies

Today resulted in the case of the missing undies. Logan informed Phil this afternoon that his underwear disappeared. He felt his underwear on the way to take Alex to school but when he got to the bus this morning he couldn't feel it they were gone. He swears he didn't tell anyone and doesn't know how it happened. Must be they wanted to hang out in the bathroom at home all day because that's where he found them.

Proof There is a TNT

What's TNT you ask? Well TNT would stand for Tony and Tiffany. Since neither my mom nor anyone in my household had met Tiffany (until now :) )there was no "real" proof she existed only those photos that Tony has posted on Facebook and Flicker. You know with all those photo editing software you can put anyone in a photo and it's very hard to tell if it's real or fake.

Well since business would have me flying to New York last week I was actually going to meet Tiffany and obtain proof of her existence. :) And I was going to meet before mom did (not that it was a competition or anything - okay maybe it was).

I'm here to report that she does exist. And I'm including some photos as proof. Tony I just want to say that she's definitely a keeper. Not only can she cook some delicious meals (vegetable lasagna - yummy!), she's very sweet and anyone that can put up with my brother while he spends 11 hours in the emergency room for malayria (not to mention the strange reactions to meds at home and other items I won't share since it could embarrass him) is a real gem.

Welcome to our crazy family Tiffany.

Back to the Ocean We Went

Of course on Monday we had to go back to the ocean (on Sunday the kids decided swimming in Grandma and Grandpa's pool would be a good idea). What's a trip to the ocean if you don't get buried in the sand?


Logan and Alex buried up to their necks. Look closely and you'll see R.I.P.


Here's Kayla like her "suit?"

More Fun at the Zoo

We did have a great time walking around the Naples Zoo. It's not to big and just the right size especially if you have little ones (like our nieces Cheyenne and Lizzie). It's nice to be able to visit a zoo in under 4 hours and it wasn't too hot.


Here are Logan and Alex feeding the fish as they look out at the monkey islands and hear the roar of the lion cubs behind them. The fish were big too although you can't see them in this photo.


Here is Alex and his cousin Cheyenne walking around the zoo. Cheyenne kept saying to Alex come on baby as she led him around the area. Better watch out for her when she gets older. :)


A group photo of the kids just before leaving the park.

A trip to the Naples Zoo

Phil and Logan checking out the Foosas.


Kayla and Cheyenne hanging out at the Foosas.


Little Lizzie walking about the zoo.

First Night in Florida

Of course on the way down to Florida all the kids could talk about was going to the ocean. That was the first thing that they wanted to do when we got there. Well we ventured over there just before sunset.

This is a photo of everyone looking for shells during high tide. You'll see Kayla, Phil, Alex and Alexis.


Here's Logan enjoying the big ocean waves as the high tide pushes in.


Just a photo of all the pelicans hanging out.


Alex being "king of the ocean".

Busy Life

It seems like forever since I last posted but we've been so busy lately I haven't had time to sit down at the computer to post anything. It's been a whirlwind of activities. Last week was Spring Break and for the first time we decided to take a trip over part of break. We took a drive to visit family in Florida and hang out at the ocean. It really was a great time. Phil even survived the drive home alone with the kids since I had to leave from Florida to fly to New York for business and to finely meet Tony's girlfriend and see their place. I'll be posting some of the photos from all the fun that we had.

Proud of Troop 1414

The girls in Troop 1414 (the troop I co-lead) have been hard at work earning their Bronze Awards. This is the highest award that girls can earn as Junior Girl Scouts. It takes a lot of time. A minimum of 15 hours is required to complete the service project of which at least 8 must be providing service. This is in edition to completing required badge work and earning their leadership awards.

The Troop was divided into two service project groups. The first group, under the advisement of my co-leader Gin, was the Soldier Care Package group. They worked at collecting donations to send to the soldiers overseas. The girls made fliers and passed them out in their neighborhoods and set up donations boxes at a local business. The did booths at the local grocery store to collect donations as well. In all they were able to deliver 17 boxes and a $100 check to Operation Sandbox in Georgia for the soldiers overseas. This is a picture of the group at the local grocery store.



The second group, under my advisement, was the Animal Service Project Group. The girls in this group worked at a local horse stable cleaning and doing other jobs to make it a better place for the animals. In addition to that they made fliers and passed them out in their neighborhoods and schools seeking used towels, blankets and sheets for the local Animal Shelter. The girls also did a booth at a local grocery store to collect donations for the animals. They collected $150 in loose change and bills and were able to purchase dog food, cat food and kitty litter as well. They delivered all the donations to the local Animal Shelter of bedding and food last weekend. This is a picture of the group after shopping at Walmart.


I must say I'm proud of this group of girls. They did such great work!

Game 6 Orioles at the Rockies

Last night was game 6 for the Orioles. They were the visiting team against the Rockies. This was the game that Phil was going to be late to because of work commitments. I was nervous since one of the assistant coaches was going to be pitching to the kids. Turns out he did a great job pitching. I was a little nervous during the first inning because the kids seemed to be off their game. I have a new theory on that. I think they act off their game during the first inning so the other team relaxes and then rallies back for a win. ;)

Logan started the game out with a few over throws to first base but turned it around later in the game. Logan even caught a pop fly and almost made a double play!

Alex did a great job paying attention in the outfield at this game and even after at getting out at first base at his first at bat. He really played well. He did have an issue that caused him to have to leave the game. (An embarrassing story that I probably shouldn't share online.) The team almost had to take an automatic out in the last inning because he almost missed his last at bat. Thankfully I (with Kayla's help) got him cleaned up and back down to the field. He ended up hitting, getting on base and eventually scoring a run.

The team beat the undefeated Rockies 17 to 11! They seem to be on a roll beating three undefeated teams in a row. That makes the Orioles first in the Souther division and second overall! Way to go Orioles!

Don't Mess With My Style

Alex has become a bit more aware of his hair lately. The other morning he was in the bathroom combing his hair. After about five minutes of combing Phil tried to help him and Alex told him to stop because he was messing up his style. Then he had to return to the bathroom for a recheck of his hair before he left for school.