Wish

The kids made a wish with the turkey wishbone.  Not sure Jonathan was happy with the results.

Jumping the Waves

Jonathan entertained himself for awhile on the beach by jumping over the waves rolling on shore.  He was getting pretty good at it.

Surfing USA

GB & Grandpa still have the skim board Brad used to use when he was little so we brought it to the beach today.  Apparently it needed to be waxed so it didn't work as well as the boys would have hoped in the water but the kids had fun with it on the beach regardless.

Snowman Florida Style

The kids had a blast building a "sandman" today.  We were the hit of the beach that day.  Diana wouldn't really cooperate for any great pictures but it was still fun.

Thanksgiving Feast

Thank you GB and Grandpa for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast. We get spoiled every year by getting to enjoy the beautiful warm Florida weather, an incredible feast of delicious food and amazing company. Thank you! We have so much to be thankful for each and every day.

Hey Diana...where did your bow go?

Diana isn't sure who the bow looks better on.

Nap Time

The kids are having so much fun in Florida and don't want to stop for a moment to take a nap even though they are exhausted.  Jonathan thinks he is going to "rest" out by the pool and of course Diana said "Me too."  They weren't laying down 2 seconds before Diana started teasing Jonathan.  Obviously I knew this wasn't going to work anyway and quickly put an end to it but at least I got a couple of cute pictures out of it.

Pier

What a fun morning!  Daddy and GB went golfing so Grandpa took the kids and I down to the pier.  We first had breakfast at a very cute little restaurant.  The kids had fun and eat well but we did have a mishap that I have to mention (sorry Grandpa).  Grandpa accidentally spilled Jonathan's apple juice all over Jonathan.  I am not sure Jonathan will ever let Grandpa live this down.  After breakfast we went out to the pier to look at the big boats and try to find some fish.  Jonathan had all sorts of questions for the fishing charter boat captains.  The boy is not afraid to talk to anyone and is very inquisitive.  Gotta love him!

Grandpa and Diana having a staring contest

One, Two, Three...Jump

Thanks Grandpa for being a big sport and getting in the pool to catch Diana.  She would say One, Two, Three and then jump.  Grandpa was even allowing her to go under a bit and she kept going back for more.  I am glad it was him and not me.  It still makes me nervous when kids go under water.  Probably doesn't help that Diana already had a near drowning experience, ok that might be a stretch, but all the same enough to scare us.  Our first day here, Diana was swimming with her water wings and doing great.  She got out of the pool to eat lunch and wanted her wings off.  She was sitting at the table with a towel wrapped around her and literally I turned my back for a second and she was jumping in the pool with no water wings.  Thankfully we have a few lifeguards on hand and Brad jumped in after her.  He did give her a moment to see if she could make it to the side as he claims it looked like she was trying.  I still can see her little eyes as big as saucers under that water.  She did manage to hold her breath though and wasn't coughing any water when she came up, thank goodness.  She was back in the water after lunch which I was happy to see she wasn't going to be too afraid of the water after that experience.  I was hoping it would scare her a little more than it did though.  Diana is following in her brother's footsteps though, she loves the water!

Park Playtime

The kids enjoy this playground every time we come down to Naples.  It's amazing at how fast they develop.  Things they couldn't do the year before are now a cinch.  I definitely have two very active and busy children, this is a great place to burn off some of that steam.  Diana is a climber so she is in heaven at a place like this.

Beach Races

I am still trying to learn how to use my camera. Today the kids helped by racing down the beach and letting me try and capture it on film. Still have some work to do on my part but at least the kids had fun.

Swimming in the Gulf

We benefited from the warmer temperatures.  The Gulf water was the warmest I ever remember it being at Thanksgiving time.  It was actually pleasant to be in.  I do think I was the only adult from our group to get in it though.  Both kids were running from the beach and jumping in the water...expecting me to catch them.  There were lots of giggles and smiles.  Made my day!

Fun in the Sand

What a fun day at the beach!  And what a difference a year makes with the kids.  Both kids were really into playing with the sand this year.  Surprisingly Diana didn't mind at all that she was covered in sand, which to be honest shocked me a little.  GB made a fun sand castle with the kids.  Brad dug two deep holes for the kids and then buried Jonathan in one of them.  I can see many more beach days in our future now, which makes me happy!

Hair Model

Everywhere we go, people still comment on how gorgeous Diana's hair is. She really does have beautiful hair with natural highlights. I think she could be a hair model, if she would just learn to cooperate with the camera.

Big Splash

Boys will be boys!  Jonathan is definitely thriving off of the "thrill" and in my opinion crazy boy stuff these days.  It makes me all very nervous but I am glad he is having fun and that he has such a wonderful Dad to allow him to be a boy.

Swimming Time

We made it down to Florida for Thanksgiving. Of course the first thing the kids want to do is go swimming! I have a feeling we will be living at the pool this week.

Diana's Music Class Artwork

Diana is loving her weekly music class. They are singing lots of songs about turkeys and Thanksgiving right now. Here is a picture of the Thanksgiving dinner she made today during class. The mash potatoes even had "butter" on them. I think the music class is really good for her because she is singing a lot more around the house and using different tones (volumes) in her voice.

Who-Dey

Jonathan's friend from school gave him 2 tickets to the Bengals game today. The weather wasn't great but the boys still had fun and got to see a good game.

Oh No!

My friend is still helping me work on my photography and this is one of the pictures I took with my phone. He says it looks like Home Alone. Diana has been making lots of funny faces and comments these days. When Nana was here in October Diana picked up "oh wow" from her. This picture looks like "oh no" to me.

Lunch time

I love that we can go and have lunch with Jonathan whenever we want! At first, Diana was a little shy and overwhelmed but she became comfortable once her big brother showed her off. The kids in Jonathan's class love Diana. He was a good big brother and protected her for awhile on the playground. She quickly made friends with the girls in his class and was "holding her own" as the teacher aid said.