It's raining...

You all know how it goes...'it's raining, it's pouring'. Well, it has been raining for quite awhile now. It basically rained for four days pretty much straight, then rained off and on for several more. I think it took it a week for the sun to actually come out from behind the clouds. And then, when it did come out, it didn't stay long because it rained again. Anybody familiar with FL knows we get seasonal rain and it is here. I like it a little more in the summer when it's nice, it rains, then it's nice again. Maybe we'll get there. Until then, we'll get through. Where we live, the lakes really need the rain and we have had no problems with flooding. Some parts of our state have not been so lucky. To bad we can't take their water away for them. Then, maybe our lakes would fill back up. I think my garden is glad that the sun is shining once again (for at least part of the day) as it was getting a little water logged. I just make sure we all have umbrellas (Riley even carries one in her book bag now) so we'll be ready.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day dawned and I waited in bed. It has become a ritual that the girls help Doug make breakfast and they bring it to me in bed. SO, even though I'm awake and ready to get up, I just sit or lay there until they come and bring me my treat. That is also when I get my cards and stuff. The girls really enjoy this and think it's fun. Because it was Mother's Day, Doug didn't have any meetings before church and didn't have to stay after either, so we all drove together as a family. It was wonderful and strange at the same time. After church, we came home and relaxed for a bit. We had invited some friends (the Lugo's) over for dinner and Doug did all of the cooking - steaks, twice baked potatoes and green beans from our garden. That really made it a nice and relaxing day for me. Of course, on the night's he is off from work, he usually does the cooking too and gets the girls ready for bed. I count myself lucky to have such a wonderful husband! The girls had each made something for me at school and hid it form me until that day. I'm very proud of both of them and the wonderful young ladies they are becoming! I really love being their mom!

Doug's Birthday

Doug had his birthday on May 3rd. Unfortunately, it was on a Sunday and he had to work so we really couldn't celebrate. Since he always has to be at church before us, we surprised him by leaving a present and some cards for him to find as he was heading to work. He enjoyed that little treat and had a good night at work. So, on Tuesday, we had the family over to celebrate a little more officially. Vic, Austin and Richard came by (really they drove an hour to be with us) and I made dinner. Then, we had a cake (german chocolate, Doug's favorite) and some ice cream. It was very low key but very fun too. Everyone spent some time outside shooting hoops and jumping rope.

Blowing out the candles!!

Dance, dance, and more dance

This year, Riley is on the competition team at the studio where both girls take classes. She has really enjoyed dancing this year. it's a good thing because she had competitions on back to back weekends. Since Doug is usually working, Kamryn gets to come with Riley and I. Luckily, she really likes to watch the dancing and thinks she should be up there too. My mom (Mimi) came down to go to both competitions to watch, and help keep an eye on Kamryn. The first competition was three days long, but we only had to be there for two of them. The second competition was just Saturday, but made for a long day (9am-7pm). The team did really well, but scored better at the second competition. Riley is in two numbers - ABC, which is a group jazz piece with kids her age, and Thriller, a big production with all ages involved. She loves dancing them both and I'm not sure she has a favorite. Kamryn will quickly tell you that Thriller is her favorite. I'm not sure if Mimi has a favorite or not, but we were glad she came for a visit. While she was here, Doug and I went to see a movie at the new theater here in town (yes, we finally have a movie theater), she got to see them in their regular dance classes, she got to watch Kamryn play soccer, and she spent some time with her dad in St. Pete. All in all, I'd say it was a good week for everybody!

Riley and some of her friends from "ABC"

The group and Brittany (the teenager who helped them) before going on stage

The start of the dance (sorry for the blurriness, we weren't allowed to use a flash and I was playing with my camera and I didn't get it quite right)

Back to schedules

Spring Break was fun, but we were glad to get back to our routines and our schedules. At least, I was. I love spending time with the kids away from here, but being home is fun too. The kids were excited to get back to school and their activities. Kamryn has a few more soccer games left, Riley has some dance competitions coming up, Kamryn has an end of year program at school, and the both have dance recital in June. Both kids are doing well in school and really like going to learn and see their friends. We can only hope they will continue to love learning!

Spring Break

Easter Sunday, after we spent time with Doug's family, we headed to the beach! Both girls were off of school and we decided to enjoy some family time. We're fortunate that Doug's dad has a condo in Siesta Key (just south of Sarasota). The kids LOVE it down there and often ask when we're going. The area is so relaxing. we usually spend our mornings at the beach and the our afternoons at the pool. This visit, the pool wasn't quite as warm as we like, but ti didn't stop us. We did have rain one day so we made a trip to the local mall for lunch, shopping and a movie. We spent time reading, eating Easter candy, and watching movies. We also swam in the gulf (again, not very warm), played in the sand, looked for shells, visited our favorite restaurants, and had fun together as a family!

Kamryn having fun playing in the sand

Doug buried in the sand

Riley enjoying the water

Doug breaking free