Shamu

I was saddened to hear the report of a trainer death at Sea World Orlando yesterday. In January we bought a year pass for all of our family (with the help of my parents) and have been once with them and once with my brother and his kids two weeks ago. The kids have seen the exact killer whale that was involved in the death both times we have been to Sea World.

This first picture shows his body through the viewing window of the orca tank. Dan is in the middle with the gloves on. He is a giant what, no doubt! The second picture shows him at the Shamu show. He stood out to me because he was SO much bigger than the other whales in the

show. The trainers did not swim with him, they just showed him off in this way.

Sarah and I were looking for the trainer who died, Dawn, when we were there last. One of the kids shows on T.V., "Fetch: With Ruff Ruffman" had a show that featured Dawn and how they train the whales. So when we returned to Sea World for our second visit, Sarah wanted to see if she could spot her. We did not see Dawn or the large whale perform, though the kids saw him in the viewing window.

It was hard to tell the kids the news this morning, but EVERYONE at church knows how into killer whales Sarah is right now and I knew someone would bring it up while she was at the homeschool coop today or at church this weekend. I guess in the end what I pray is that Dawn knew the Lord Jesus Christ and that her passing was with joy into heaven.

A Visit From "The Juice," Ethan & Eric

We had a fast and furious weekend with my brother Scott(known as Uncle Apple Juice from his visit out here 5 years ago!) and my nephews Ethan(9) and Eric(6). It was a real treat to have them come all the way out to Florida from the Left Coast! My brother is a natural jokester-wish I'd realized that as a kid and not fought against it! (in this tradition he renamed himself "The Juice" on this trip) His oldest son Ethan is a typical 4th grade boy. Eric, his second son has a dynamo smile but is more serious and needs his private space! Eric and Lizzy, who are only 8 months apart seem to get along really well! It has been fun to see them play together through the years, as hit and miss as it has been. Ethan and Sarah are only 8 months apart and have always had a good time playing, but now they are getting older and Ethan and Daniel have more in common as BOYS, but Sarah makes sure she gets her time with her closest cousin! The kids all connected well in front of the closet door mirrors singing "Billy Joe McGuffrey" and "Boys in the Sink" from Veggietales. I don't know how it all went down, but I do know that Lizzy was the "producer." Wish I hadn't been busy doing something else, it sounded interesting!

On Friday we hung out together at the house and let the kids play. We whipped up some frozen pizzas and enjoyed the kids catching up with eac

h other. Saturday had been set aside for a trip north to Orlando. Since we have year passes to Sea World and Eric LOVES LOVES LOVES roller coasters, we decided to go up during their visit out. We spent 7 hours on Saturday meeting Shamu, feeding sharks and rays, admiring dolphins, manatees, penguins and gators. Eric wasn't tall enough for the Manta or Kraken, but he was able to go on Atlantis with Scott and Marc. My kids are not so brave!. It was a chilly 54 degrees in northern Florida. We just aren't used to that! It was relieving to have lunch and be inside for a while! The kids had a great time pal-ing around together and enjoying the fun of

an amusement park.

Sunday we took them to our church which my brother

felt greatly refreshed by. We enjoyed lunch out at our favorite sports grill Duffy's and quiet time back at the homestead.

Monday we were good parents and took the kids to our pediatric dentist where a Kid Safe DNA swab was offered. I hadn't had my youngest 3 done before so I had to take the opportunity. Scott went ahead and had his 2 kids swabbed as well. We had lunch at Cracker Barrel so they could all remember it fondly when they listen to the Tim Hawkins skit about "the barrel." We finished the day off with a trip to the beach where the kids tried to dig a slide out of the sand.

The boys all headed home Tuesday after a quick trip to the park down the street. My brother constantly takes his boys to the park and he went tw

ice to mine. I wonder what his attraction is to park-going. We were raised by the same parents, lived out in the woods, went to the same college. . . he he. He is just a good dad when it comes to keeping kids entertained, I think!

So our visit was awesome and way overdue. I am so thankful that my brother whom I love took the time and money to come out and visit us-it had been 3 years since he has been here. My favorite part was our two hours of talk each way as we drove up and back to Orlando. We were able to cover so many topics and catch up on so many things. We live very different lives on two opposite sides of America, but what we do have in common is our Lord Jesus Christ, our love of family, and our red hair!

Scott Arrives!

My brother has arrived from California for 4 days! I am so excited! My parents visit quarterly, but moving to the East Coast has put a lot of distance between my brother and I . He has 4 boys, two of which he brought with him and we have the Super 6, so cross-country trips are few and far between. This is his 3rd visit to us in 5 1/2 years! He came exactly 5 years ago with just his oldest. 3 years ago his whole family came out and we spent 4 days at Disney Orlando as a family with my parents. They came here to Jupiter for 2 days before they returned. Since we have moved to Florida my brother has changed jobs so he had to work very hard for the past several years establishing himself there. I am thankful he could get away over this President' s Day weekend to visit us! Saturday we will all go to Sea World with our family's annual passes and his discount tickets! Sunday is Valentine's Day and I have some treats up my sleeve for everyone! Monday we will head to the beach and try to enjoy it although our weather is pretty cool for Florida!

Lizzy's "Glasses"

O.K. I admit it. Sometimes you just have to spoil your kids. This week it was the girls. I took Sarah to The Doll Factory to find off brand American Girl doll clothes. It was out of the way, but a gem of a store! For Lizzy, I bought her glasses to wear since she was so sad about not having them.

Ever wonder about Homeschooling?

I ran across this quote in my "The Old Schoolhouse" homeschooling magazine. If you have ever wondered what homeschooling is like, THIS IS IT!

"The hard facts about homeschooling boil down to three little words spoken by Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 14:31: "I die daily.". . . Home education is not expensive, but it will cost you pretty much everything."

Hand Me Downs

I bought these cute "Hey Diddle, Diddle" footie jammies when Jake was 1 1/2 and Leah a newborn. They were neutral enough for them both to match and look cutsie. Well, the other day I realized Leah and Gabriel were the proper size for matching and had to take a picture to compare. I think you'll agree they are adorable! In the bottom picture, Leah is 2 and Gabriel 4 months.