the Scoop from the Loop...

Christy and Tim's Wedding

2011-07-17T08:27:00.005-04:00

We went to Maryland for Christy and Tim's wedding at the beginning of July! It was so awesomeo to have the family together again!
Isabella had a blast dancing all night at her very first wedding!

A Visit from the Cousins!

2011-06-19T19:23:00.003-04:00

Uncle Paul, Aunt Lori, Austin, Claire and Sarah came to visit us from PA for a week! We had a great time going to the beach, tubing, flying kites and kite boarding with them!
Uncle Paul taught us how to make amazing sandcastles...this was our first attempt!
The cousins!

Our second sandcastle...even more awesome!
We saved the BEST for last!

Jonah's 8th Grade Dance

2011-06-05T19:39:00.003-04:00

Jonah looked so handsome for his 8th grade dance!
After the dance, Jonah and his friends went to Bogey's for dinner then bowling!

Isabella's Performance

2011-06-05T19:35:00.001-04:00

Isabella performed Intermezzo at a local nursing home...she did really well!

Talent Show!

2011-05-20T16:34:00.005-04:00

Isabella and her BFF Noel performed in the elementary school talent show! They did a hip hop dance routine and did awesome!

They also performed two songs with the chorus...fun night!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T16:50:00.004-04:00

Another Happy Easter at the Ferber House!

NYC!

2011-04-12T17:56:00.000-04:00

Bruce has taken all of the kids to NYC by themselves and it was finally Isabella's turn! They spent four days and had a blast! A highlight of the trip was a visit to the American Girl Doll store! Toys 'R Us is amazing! Even got to ride the ferris wheel! We surprised Isabella with tickets to see The Addams Family on Broadway! Even Bruce loved it!

Dylan's Candy Bar...YUMMY!

View from the Empire State Building!

Isabella LOVED the "dirty water" hot dogs!

Bruce and Isabella climbed hundreds of steps to get to the crown of the Statue of Liberty...a first for both of them!

Riding in a taxi!

FAO Schwartz

Isabella's Piano Recital

2011-03-19T11:41:00.003-04:00

Isabella and her friend, Dakota
Her teacher, Miss Nicole

American Girl Fashion Show

2011-03-05T21:34:00.006-05:00

Isabella modeled in the Jr. League of Manatee's American Girl Fashion Show! She had to apply to be chosen and was really excited when she found out she was accepted!

Getting her hair done for the dress rehearsal
The big night!

She wore the Special Occasion dress and looked so beautiful!

Carnival Destiny

2010-12-07T21:05:00.005-05:00

We just got back on Saturday from a 5 day cruise on the Carnival Destiny out of Miami! Had another great time visiting Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk!

They showed movies on the huge screen every evening!
We saw this same pirate the last time we were in Nassau!

The towel animals are always a hit!
Fun in the sun on Half Moon Cay!

Isabella drank her weight in Shirley Temples!

The boys were so excited to go parasailing with Dad!

Evan's 12th Birthday

2010-12-06T20:37:00.004-05:00

Evan turned 12 today....how'd that happen!? We went to dinner at Bogey's then celebrated with his favorite...chocolate eclair cake!

Isabella's 9th Birthday Party

2010-12-05T17:52:00.006-05:00

Isabella celebrated her 9th birthday with her best friend, Noel. They took a bunch of friends to see Tangled then came home for cake and presents! Lots of fun!

The First Cast

2010-11-22T14:52:00.005-05:00

Hard to believe that after 23 years and 7 children, this is our first cast in the family! Evan was messing around on the ramps with his skateboard and fell backwards causing a buckle fracture in his wrist. The good news is it's his LEFT wrist...and not his whole arm...or leg! The not so good news is that we leave next Monday for a cruise to the Bahamas and Grand Turk so that will create some challenges, but since the cast is waterproof, we're hoping it won't be too much of a nuisance.

Happy 9th Birthday Isabella!

2010-11-15T11:45:00.005-05:00

We took Isabella and her best friend, Noel to Disneyworld for her 9th birthday! She thought it was very cool to take the day off from school to go to her very favorite place!

Chelsea sent her a birthday box of her favorite things...teen magazines, ring pops, a peace sign blanket and more!The next day we had her birthday dinner at her favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory and she celebrated with a piece of Coconut Cream Cheesecake!

Trick or Treat!

2010-10-31T21:57:00.006-04:00

We went to Bruce's parent's home near Orlando the day before Halloween, so we brought our pumpkins with us and carved them there!

Isabella's pumpkin
Evan's pumpkin

Isabella went trick or treating with her friend, Alana since the boys were off who knows where with their friends!

Hello Fall!

2010-10-05T16:10:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, we went out on the boat and had an amazing day! This is what autumn in Florida is all about...the weather was perfect! We went tubing around Sport Island then saw manatee on our way down to Venice to see the dolphins! Evan's friends, Alyssa and Olivia came with us!

Venice Triathalon

2010-09-04T11:58:00.005-04:00

Jonah and Bruce did their first triatholon today in Venice. There was a 400 meter swim, a 9 mile bike ride and 3 mile run. Jonah finished first in the 14 and under group with a time that was 6 minutes faster than the second place participant. We're so proud of them!

Payton's Visit

2010-08-03T19:00:00.006-04:00

One of Jonah's best friends, Payton, came to visit for a week from Maryland. We kept him busy all week showing him all of our favorite places and things to do in Florida!

Shake Pit!

Disney Hollywood Studios

Mooch!

Fishing!

Surfing!

A day on the bay!

Tubing!

Watch Hill, Rhode Island

2010-07-12T20:47:00.008-04:00

My good friend, Kristy and her kids spend the summer with her parents in Watch Hill, RI. Isabella and her daughter, Noel are best friends and plotted all through the spring about us coming for a visit...well, it actually happened! Isabella and I flew up for a few days and had an amazing time!

This is "the Barn" across the street from Kristy's parent's house where we all stayed...sooo cute inside and out!

The Yacht Club and downtown Watch Hill on the harbor.
Kristy's parents have a cabana on the beach and we spent most of our week enjoying the beautiful views and (chilly!) ocean waves!

Isabella with Noel and her sister, Kathryn

Who knew wet sand could provide hours of entertainment?

The hydrangeas were in full bloom in RI...sure wish they grew in Florida! They were just beautiful and I couldn't get enough pictures of them!

The Ocean House is an old hotel that was recently renovated and reopened in town. Like something from a movie set, the hotel was as incredible inside as out!

The village of Watch Hill is filled with quaint little shops...that we visited almost daily!
The Carousel is the oldest one in the United States.

Evan

2010-07-05T18:39:00.004-04:00

The stinkin' hot Florida summers finally got to Evan and he decided to cut off his beautiful curls! Now we can see his AMAZING blue eyes! So handsome!

Happy Birthday Jonah!

2010-06-27T08:22:00.003-04:00

Jonah turned 13 on June 23rd! He's turned into such an awesome young man! He's nearly as tall as me and wears the same shoe size as Bruce! Jonah loves hanging out with his friends, riding his bike, fishing, Xbox and playing basketball. We're so proud of him! Happy Birthday dude!

Father's Day Skit

2010-06-20T14:21:00.003-04:00

Jonah and his friend, Ethan performed this skit at church this morning...I think they did an awesome job!

The Bravery Award

2010-06-18T16:47:00.005-04:00

This morning we got a call from Isabella's Dance Team instructor (who was running a Dance Camp this week) letting us know that they created a special award for Bravery called the Ferber Award. It was in Isabella's honor since she came to Dance Camp last year in her brace only a few weeks after having surgery to remove her spinal tumor. It was such an honor and even cooler was that Isabella was able to give it to this year's recipient, who had been bitten two weeks ago by a rattlesnake and told that she'd probably be on crutches all summer. We were really touched by the award especially since they'll be giving it out for years to come...though hopefully not too often!

Evan's 5th Grade Graduation

2010-06-10T09:18:00.005-04:00

Evan graduated from the Imagine School on Wednesday...hard to believe that the kid who used to cry when I dropped him off at preschool is looking forward to middle school!

Evan FINALLY got a phone that he's been begging for this whole year!

Evan with his teachers

Hollywood and LA

2010-06-10T08:56:00.012-04:00

On our last day in CA, we travelled around LA and Hollywood. The boys were really excited to find the home of one of their favorite shows, Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory!

Bruce lived in Hollywood for two years while he worked at Capital Records and we found his old apartment!
We walked down Hollywood Blvd and looked at all the stars!

The tatoo shop from LA Ink!

Stopped for lunch at the famous Pink's!

Rodeo Drive!

Sunset Cliffs

2010-06-09T11:12:00.009-04:00

After a day of surfing and a pizza lunch, we headed to Sunset Cliffs. The boys had a great time (and mom was a nervous wreck!) climbing the cliffs and exploring the caves!

Surfing!

2010-06-07T19:09:00.005-04:00

We drove to San Diego to visit cousin Andrew and his wife, Bekah who we had never met...what an awesome couple! We went to church first (Andrew is on the worship team) then we went for dinner at Wahoo Fish Tacos...best ever! The next day, Andrew taught the kids to surf since he's the king of surfing! They all did really well and Jonah especially is HOOKED!

Pacific Coast Highway

2010-06-05T18:10:00.009-04:00

After two days in San Francisco, we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to LA. With all the stops to jump out and enjoy the amazing views, bathroom and lunch/dinner breaks, it took us nearly eleven hours to get there, but the kids were really great! As you can see, the views were unbelievable and so worth the trip!

Biola Graduation

2010-06-04T20:30:00.003-04:00

Chelsea did it! She's the first of our children to graduate from college and we couldn't be more proud! It was a beautiful day for graduation and the ceremony was awesome...James Ingram sang and Joni Earekson Tada was the keynote speaker. After the ceremony, we met lots of Chelsea's friends, had a quick lunch at In 'N Out then helped her move. That night we celebrated with dinner at Buca di Beppo! Chelsea will be working on campus for the summer and hopefully will find a job for the fall...she's hoping to work for an adoption agency.

San Francisco

2010-06-04T11:28:00.009-04:00

We spent a week in CA for Chelsea's graduation from Biola. After a long delay, we finallly arrived in San Francisco and had a great visit there! The first day started out rainy, but cleared up to a beautiful day!

We spent several hours hiking through Muir Woods enjoying the magnificent redwood trees!

We all loved Pocky! A yummy cookie dipped in chocolate!
Lombard Street

Alcatraz

Full House!

Variety Show

2010-05-14T22:41:00.002-04:00

Isabella performed in her school's variety show with her friend, Madison. They did a ribbon dance to the song Fairytale.

Tooth Fairy Central!

2010-05-12T17:02:00.003-04:00

Teeth have been dropping like flies at our house lately! Jonah seems to lose a tooth (mostly molars!) every week and Isabella finally lost her two front teeth...without help from Mom!

Vow Renewal Ceremony

2010-04-14T10:26:00.006-04:00

Bruce and I have been married for 15 years on March 17th so we decided to renew our wedding vows at our favortie place on earth...the beach at Anna Maria Island at sunset! We surprised the kids with a limo ride from home to the beach! They thought that was the greatest thing ever and the boys had to push every.single.button they could find!
Unfortunately our older kids couldn't make it down because of work and school, but how cute are these three?

Bruce's parents drove over from Ft. Lauderdale

Our pastor and his wife (and good friends!), Jeff and Robin
We wrote our own vows and Bruce surprised me with a gorgeous and VERY sparkly anniversary ring! He almost never catches me completely off guard, but this time he did for sure!
Our friend, Joel sang a beautiful love song that he wrote for his wife and their wedding last year.
After the ceremony, we had a yummy dinner at another favorite place on the beach, the Sandbar restaurant. It was a perfect evening and exactly what we had imagined it would be!

Easter

2010-04-05T19:28:00.009-04:00

Chelsea flew in the night before Easter, just in time to decorate eggs!

Spongeorama!

2010-03-31T20:18:00.010-04:00

A group of us made a day trip up to Tarpon Springs to go to the sponge docks! What a fun place! We shopped, ate lunch then headed out on a boat and saw dolphins playing and stopped at a small island to do some amazing shelling!

Shaaarrrruuuun!

Air Show!

2010-03-21T17:39:00.004-04:00

Bruce took his parents and the boys to the Airfest in Tampa...they had an amazing time!

Piano Recital!

2010-03-21T08:20:00.005-04:00

Isabella had her first piano recital with her new piano teacher, Miss Nicole. She played Toymaker's Dance and did an amazing job!

Isabella and her good friend, Dakota.

The piano Isabella performed on was recently played by Bruce Hornsby and Billy Joel...how cool is that!?

Miss Nicole

Cookie Time!

2010-03-20T16:51:00.005-04:00

This was Isabella's first year selling Girl Scout cookies! She did an awesome job and sold nearly 80 boxes! Evan and Jonah are in a Thin Mint induced sugar coma!

Field Trip!

2010-03-17T15:42:00.005-04:00

Isabella's class took a field trip to Publix, our neighborhood supermarket! It was actually a lot of fun! They also visited Grow Financial Bank.

They watched a cake being decorated from start to finish and got to take the cake back to school for a snack! Nice hairnet Belle!

Awesome pineapple corer machine!

Who wants sushi?

Another Plane Ride!

2010-03-14T21:08:00.004-04:00

The weather finally cleared up enough for Evan to take his long anticipated second flight! Bruce and Evan's friend, Zeph went along this time!

Evan even got to fly the plane and officially log some flight hours!

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Anna Maria Island
Beer Can Beach

Baptism

2010-02-28T17:33:00.006-05:00

Today was a very special day for the youngest Ferber kids! They were baptised...in a jacuzzi! They had all accepted Jesus for a while now and Evan and Jonah had been baptised as babies, but they all really wanted to affirm their relationship with Him again! There was a big cookout afterwards that was lots of fun!>

Florida Aquairium

2010-02-23T13:31:00.003-05:00

The kids were off on Presidents' Day so we spent the day at the Florida Aquairium! AWESOME place!

Camp Honi Hanta!

2010-02-12T09:05:00.004-05:00

Isabella went on her first Girl Scout camp out last weekend!
Her friend, Anna went camping too!

Isabella loved climbing the towers for the great view!

Lots of fun crafts!

One of the highlights of camp is exchanging SWAPS! Isabella and Anna made cute little felt sleeping bags!

Karaoke is always a good time!

Concert!

2010-01-31T15:35:00.002-05:00

Isabella played at a concert at a local nursing home over the weekend...she did so well! And if you ask her, the highlight was meeting a very young 101 year old lady!

Naples ROCKS!

2010-01-24T19:51:00.003-05:00

One of Evan's favorite places in the world is Naples, FL...the home of all cars EXTRAVAGANT! He and Bruce drove down yesterday to tour a few excotic car dealerships! The both dreamed about which car they'll buy when they win the lottery and just had a great time spending time together!

Day After Christmas...

2009-12-27T19:18:00.005-05:00

We usually go to the beach on Christmas Day, but it was kinda rainy so we went the day after instead. Instead of rainy it was FREEZING! Ok it was only 63 degrees, but to us it felt like 33!

Poor Evan...BRRRRR!

Never too cold to dig in the sand!

Christmas Day...

2009-12-25T17:07:00.005-05:00

Getting ready to check out the loot!

Isabella got a DS! And she loves her LIV girl too!

It was an aviation Christmas for Evan!

Jonah was completely surprised (and seemed happy!) with most of his gifts! He loved his surround sound gaming chair from Santa!

Christmas Eve...

2009-12-25T10:46:00.002-05:00

On Christmaas Eve, we went to an outdoor candelight service at our church, where Bruce played with the worship team for the first time! Afterwards, we did our traditional dinner at a chinese restaurant with our friends, the Stilwells...Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra!

When we got home, Isabella fixed a plate of cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer and wrote him a very sweet note!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Evan's Birthday Party...

2009-12-13T19:25:00.005-05:00

Evan had his birthday party today! Bruce took him and a bunch of his friends to see The Blind Side...they all loved it!

Evan's New Friend...

2009-12-11T21:47:00.006-05:00

We went to a Christmas on Main Street event in a nearby town. One of the local toy stores had these very cool puppets that Evan got to try out!

Cruise !

2009-12-05T20:41:00.008-05:00

Just got back today from a 5 day cruise from Tampa to Grand Cayman then Cozumel! We had such a great time and we're already planning our next cruise! There were so many activities on board for the kids that we didn't see them most of the days because they were having so much fun at their "camps!" The kids loved the 24 hour pizzeria and ice cream machine and Evan even liked joining Bruce and I in the formal dining room!

We set sail out of Tampa on Monday afternoon. It was very cool sailing under the Skyway Bridge at night!

Another gorgeous Gulf sunset!

View from the upper deck onto the Lido Deck on the Inspiration
Setting sail!
Evan and Isabella with Funship Freddie...Evan got first place in the boys' dancing competition!

The ship had an awesome water slide and racing slides!
This is the view Bruce and I enjoyed on the upper deck of the ship while we sipped umbrella drinks, soaked in the sun and actually had uninterrupted conversations!
On Wednesday, we took a tender to Grand Cayman Island then took another boat to a sandbar called Stingray City!
Our view of the Inspiration from the tender.

Stingray City was amazing! The water was crystal clear and there were stingrays EVERYWHERE! You could hold them and they would pucker up and kiss you! And yes...they did still have their stingers, but they're very gentle and not at all aggressive.
Bruce getting a massage from a stingray...they feel like wet mushrooms!
Can you believe we found this while swimming with the stingrays?! Unfortunately, it was inhabited so we had to leave it.
On Thursday, we docked in Cozumel. We did a little shopping at the pier then set out on our own to the beach at Dzul Ha, where we rented snorkel equipment and had our own guide take us snorkeling on the reef. It was totally amazing as you can see from the video! Afterwards, we had a real Mexican lunch right on the water then headed to downtown San Miguel to explore the shops. We found a little store that had this crazy monkey swining outside. Her name was Pancha and she LOVED Evan's hair!

It was just an amazing trip and we made some awesome memories!

Thanksgiving 09

2009-11-28T13:29:00.005-05:00

We had an awesome Thanksgiving celebrated with good friends! I cooked the massive turkey and mashed potatoes and everyone else brought something else..Bruce even tried sweet potato casserole...and liked it! The Strobles and the Stilwells and all their kids joined us for a fun day of eating, swimming, games and football!

Isabella, Bruce and Gracie enjoying a little football!

Sea Plane Videos!

2009-11-23T20:05:00.003-05:00

Sea Plane!

2009-11-21T17:03:00.003-05:00

We won a ride on a sea plane at a local christian school silent auction so today was the day that Evan, Jonah and I went!
Evan and Christian, the pilot

Evan was so excited because he's been playing Flight Simulator for months and was sure he could fly it...and the pilot let him! It was an amazing ride and we saw so many sharks and dolphin!

Isabella's 8th Birthday Party...

2009-11-15T15:50:00.005-05:00

Isabella decided to have a DOG party for her 8th birthday!
The girls painted wooden dog houses for their craft.

They played Pin the Tail on the Dog!
After presents and cake, they all went for a swim!

Isabella Turns 8...

2009-11-12T21:07:00.004-05:00

Our baby turned 8 today despite us telling her that she was NOT allowed! I think she had a really fun day! She convinced us to let her open just one present before school and she chose Evan's gift! It was a hit! He picked it out himself!
Lunch at school with the traditional birthday crown and cupcakes for her friends!
She chose Applebees for dinner and had her favorite chocolate dessert!Relaxin' with a few of her new presents!

Evan's Field Trip to G Wiz...

2009-11-06T07:07:00.003-05:00

Evan took his first field trip of the year to G Wiz Science Museum in Sarasota! There was an awesome exhibit with drawings by Leonardo da Vinci that were made into models...very cool!

Lots of hands on displays and exhibits

Evan and his best friend, Maks

Isabella's Field Trip to Hunsader Farm...

2009-11-03T12:56:00.003-05:00

Today Isabella's second grade class had a field trip to Hunsader Farm, the local fruit and veggie farm. The weather was perfect and almost felt like fall!

Lots of animals to feed including donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens and bunnies!

Isabella and her friend, Noel

There was even a litte butterfly garden!

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-01T20:27:00.007-05:00

Halloween was kind of different this year...Jonah went trick or treating with a friend so we didn't even see him on Halloween; neither Jonah nor Evan wanted to carve a pumpkin so Isabella and her friend, Katie carved them. Our street was unusually quiet this year too, maybe because there are so many empty houses compared to last Halloween. I think the kids still had fun trick or treating with Dakota and Hunter though!

Isabella carved an awesome bat pumpkin!

Gracie made a very cute witch!

Cooper was a scary spider!

Dakota, Isabella, Hunter and Evan
Cutest.Cat. Ever!

Evan as Jason from Friday the 13th

Thriller!

2009-10-31T08:48:00.004-04:00

Isabella's Dance Team performed at the Boo Fest on Main Street yesterday! This was her first performance because she missed all of the performances last spring because of her surgery so she was really excited! The streets were packed but she did a great job dancing to Thriller!

A Visit with Nana and Papa...

2009-10-25T08:11:00.010-04:00

On Saturday, we took a drive to the east coast of Florida to visit Bruce's parents, Nana and Papa. We hadn't seen them in a while so it was a nice day of catching up!The boys were fascinated with the turntable and record albums!
Everyone had lots of fun with the ping pong table!

The Creek...

2009-10-17T19:05:00.005-04:00

When we lived in MD, the boys spent lots of time in the woods behind our house, playing in the stream and exploring the forest. After moving here, they traded in the woods for a creepy creek behind Jonah's friend, Ben's house! It seriously looks like a movie set...water the color of dark tea, spanish moss hanging everywhere...Ben's dad said it reminds him of Huck Finn. I try not to think about the creatures lurking in the water there ...the ginormous catfish, small gators, snakes and more snakes. The boys spend hours there fishing, building stuff and jumping off the side into the water. They built the dock you see in the picture and have hung ropes from the trees so they can swing into the water.

They come home stinky as all get out (usually Ben's mom lines them up against the house and hoses them down!), but the memories they're making are something I'm not willing to interfere with. What I do worry about is the two of them ending up on an episode of Monsters Within Me...or on the nightly news.

Catfish...

2009-10-16T10:03:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, Evan and Bruce went out while Jonah was home sick with the Swine Flu. They caught two, huge catfish and had an awesome day on the intercoastal! It's always an awesome day on the boat...better known as Bruce's "happy place!"

They also saw their old friend, Mooch!

Playin' Hookie On The Bay...

2009-10-02T20:02:00.005-04:00

Today, we got the kids off to school and then went out on the boat with our friends, the Wilsons and the Stilwells! We started at Regatta Pointe and headed up the Manatee River to Tampa Bay. Once we got to the bay, we were surrounded by a school of dolphins! I've been listening all summer to the boys talking about the dolphins and today was my day! They were so graceful and beautiful...they took my breath away!

Lindsey and Chris Wilson

Notice Bruce has no shoes? This is a recurring theme with him...he lives in paradise so he never wears shoes and then hops in the car without them!

We went up to the Pier at St. Pete's and had a yummy lunch at Cap'n Als. The best part was the fried pickle appetizer!

Kelly and Tim Stilwell

Build A Bear Jonas Brothers Event...

2009-09-26T09:24:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Bruce, Evan, Isabella and I spent the day together while Jonah went to Busch Gardens with his best friend, Ben. We went to see the movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs! It was different from the book, which has been a favorite in our family for years, but they did a great job of building upon the original story.
Afterwards, Isabella and I went to a VIP event at Build A Bear to launch the new, special edition Jonas Brothers dog. They had lots of fun stuff going on as Isabella built her dog...it was really fun!

Cooper's New Trick...

2009-09-18T19:47:00.002-04:00

Goodbye Old Friend...

2009-09-11T16:26:00.010-04:00

Today we said goodbye to a faithful and loyal friend...our beloved dog, Harley. Everyone who ever met Harley said what a great dog he was and he will be missed. He shed like crazy, but because he was so amazing, we all put up with it! Harley loved to run in the snow when we lived in MD and lay on the warm grass once we moved to Florida...and even took a swim in the possible home to alligators (the lake behind our house) on the very first day in our new house! He liked to lay on his belly with his front paws crossed and knew how to shake. One of his favorite activities in his younger days was wrestling with Bruce and he often tried, unsuccessfully, to join in the "reindeer games" with Cooper and Gracie when they wrestled with Bruce.
We love you Harley and know that you're chasing rabbits in heaven! Thank you for many years of love and devotion....

When Will They Just MOVE Here??

2009-09-02T17:41:00.010-04:00

The day before we left for Captiva, we got together with our good friends, the Butehorns, who were visiting our area of Florida again! This time, they vacationed on Longboat Key so we got to spend the day with them at The Colony. The kids had a ball playing football in the pool, since the Gulf was really rough because of a hurricane that was heading toward the panhandle. Afterward, we all went to Moore's Stone Crab Restaurant for dinner...yummy!

Dog Tricks...

2009-08-27T20:25:00.003-04:00

Evan is really good at teaching the dogs tricks! Here are just a few!

This is Gracie doing...Play Dead!

This is Cooper doing...Shake! The shaking back leg is not part of the trick LOL

Meet Mooch!

2009-08-26T20:03:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, Bruce and the boys took the boat out of Venice for the day. As usual, they had a great time and this day was no exception! This dolphin followed along side of the boat for quite a while and even let them feed him! How amazing is that??

Back to School...

2009-08-24T19:27:00.004-04:00

Jonah headed back to middle school in the 7th grade...a year I so wish that all of my children could completely SKIP!
It's hardest for me to believe that Evan is in the 5th grade! How did that happen? He was sooo excited to have lots of his friends transferred into a new group with him (since at his school, they have the same teachers for three years). And in case you were wondering? He most certainly did get a back to school haircut just last week!
And finally, Isabella went into 2nd grade at a brand new school this year...fortunately Evan already goes to that school too! She was excited to see a few friends from her old elementary school had transferred there as well! It was a tough day for both of us since she hasn't been in school since March, before her spinal tumor surgery, but we both did just fine!
After the kids got to school, Bruce and I packed up the dogs and spent the day on the boat...ALONE! It wa a perfect day on the bay, just cruising around looking for dolphins and stopping for lunch in Gulfport. The dogs seem to really love the boat except for when it's choppy (they jump into Bruce's lap) or if Gracie gets splashed by the spray and she runs to the back of the boat! We've decided that we'll do this again at least once a month!

Jonah's Trip to MD...

2009-08-22T19:38:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, Bruce went to MD for work, so Jonah tagged along. They met up with Chelsea and Collin for dinner at CarterQue the first night then Bruce drove him up to Finksburg to spend a few days with his very best friend, Payton! They had a great time exploring the woods, playing with Sofie, their dog and going to the creek and sliding on the rock waterfalls Jonah with Payton and his younger brother, Sawyer Apparently the boys picked up right where they left off...just like when I visit Payton's mom!The rest of the week Jonah spent in his old 'hood hanging out with his posse!

Captiva Island...

2009-08-21T23:16:00.011-04:00

We've had a pretty quiet summer so when Isabella finally got her brace off, we decided to spend a few days at the South Seas Resort on Captiva Island. It's about a 2 hour drive south of where we live and it was so nice to get away for a while. Bruce and I had been to Sanibel Island a few years ago and visited Captiva, where we completely fell in love with the Gulf coast. We always said we would return and this was the perfect opportunity!

Crossing the causeway to Sanibel Island, then a little farther north to Captiva!

Our first stop was lunch at the original Cheeburger Cheeburger on Sanibel Island!The beach at the resort...we're so spoiled by the powdery white sand beaches on Anna Maria Island (Isabella said the sand here was "dirty" LOL)

Evan had fun taking pictures of the fish nibbling on his toes!

The boys chillaxin' in the hot tub!

The resort had lots of pools, but I think the favorite was H2Whoa because of the water slides!

Where, oh where did my little boy go?Bruce, Evan and Jonah went fishing one night and Jonah caught a 12 inch Redfish!

Isabella loved going to the craft activities they had for kids! She made a cool shell frame one day and painted a coconut another day!

This stingray hung out in the water next to the pool for most of the morning!

The views by the pool were sooooo relaxing!

Weird Weather...

2009-08-15T19:05:00.004-04:00

On Monday night, we were all hanging out doing our thing after dinner and suddenly noticed that the sky was ORANGE! The top picture is looking down our street and the bottom one is looking up the street....very strange and kind of scary! If you look closely, you can see Miss Gulch riding on her bicycle!

Spa Day!

2009-08-12T18:49:00.002-04:00

Not for me...for the doggies, of course! Cooper and Gracie went for some pampering today andcame home looking really cute! Harley got a major brushing while they were gone, but I didn't snap his pic...as usual, he was snoozing!

A Day on the Water...

2009-08-03T13:23:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Isabella and I drove down to a pier on Lido Key and met up with Bruce and Kelly and the kids. We took a very short (because Isabella isn't allowed to be on the boat yet) to a secluded beach and the kids just swam, hiked and played. Then we floated the boat out to a sandbar and the kids searched for all kinds of creatures. It was soooo nice being back on the boat...even for just a little while!

2009-07-13T12:50:00.010-04:00

Sue over at Happy Meals and Happy Hours is at again...and she so feels my pain!

Oh my GOSH is it awesome having the kids home for summer vacation!

Here's a fun game to play if you've already pressed wildflowers but haven't made home made lemonade yet!

Cloud Shapes!

Look! A poodle!

A duck!

A bunny!
Look!
See???? It's a mom!!! It's a mom considering jumping in her SUV with only a change of clothes and a vodka bottle and heading for Canada!! See..right there! There's her crazy eyes...and there's her bald spot from pulling her hair out....and right there's the kids hanging off her yelling 'MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM!' cuz that's all they ever say is 'MOM!' til you'd rather have a swarm of killer bees drill your EYEBALLS out than hear the word 'MOM!' one more time for the love of ALL THAT IS HOLY CAN'T YOU SEE IT??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's RIGHT THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Visit from Denice!

2009-07-07T13:35:00.003-04:00

My oldest sister, Denice and her husband were in Florida for a reunion of Canal Zone families (she lived in Panama for MANY years) and called me yesterday morning to tell me that they were in Clearwater for a few days. So they came over last night for dinner and it was great to catch up with them! Denice and her husband, Arcadio are Jonah's godparents

4th of July Weekend...

2009-07-05T16:13:00.004-04:00

We went for a cookout with our friends the Almy's on the 4th of July! Of course the triplets, Katrina, Abby and Zoey were passed around to everyone! After dinner we came home and did fireworks with the Strobles!

Me and Ali

Today we spent the day in the pool...being entertained by Evan and his pool hair!

Collin's Visit

2009-06-29T15:28:00.003-04:00

Collin and his friend, Kevin drove through the night to Florida a week ago and spent 7 days with us! We kept them busy going to Universal Studios, tubing on the boat, going to the beach, celebrating Jonah's 12th birthday, LOTS of swimming in our pool and generally just catching up! The boys were awesome house guests and we really hated to see them go!

Isabella at Dance Camp

2009-06-28T20:16:00.008-04:00

Isabella joined the Dance Team at her elementary school last January and really loved it! Unfortunately, because of her surgery, she was never able to perform with the team at any of their 3 shows in the spring. Last week, she went to Dance Camp and had a ball and was so excited to be in the performance for the parents at the end of the week! She had so much fun that she's going to do another week at the end of July!
They learned a belly dancing routine!
Isabella had a solo for the routine to The Climb, where they did Ribbon Dancing
They even did some Cup Stacking!
Miss Michele was her amazing Dance Team/Dance Camp teacher! At the end of the week, Isabella got a trophy for being voted Favorite Dancer by the other girls!
Isabella with her other teacher, Marina, who is Miss Michele's awesome daughter and a special friend to isabella!

Jonah is 12!

2009-06-24T19:51:00.003-04:00

Caitlin, Ben, Matthew, Evan and Jonah
Jonah turned 12 yesterday! Bruce took Evan, Jonah and two friends along with Collin, who's visitng this week from MD and his friend, Kevin out on the boat all day swimming and tubing! They had a great time and of course all came back sunburned! Jonah's choice for dinner was Carrabas and a Carvel cake!

He's becoming such a handsome young man and one of my favorite traits about him is his hilarious sense of humor! He cracks us up everyday usually at the most unexpected moments! Lately he's into skateboarding, playing basketball, swimming, skimboarding, music, his beloved iTouch and gaming! We love you Jonah!

A Night at the Rays Game...

2009-06-15T21:55:00.007-04:00

After a fun day at the beach, we went to St. Pete with the Wilsons and the Hawleys to watch the Rays beat the Nationals! We did a little tailgating ahead of time and the kids had a ball playing football in the parking lot, diving into the back of our car and singing loudly along with the radio!
This was Isabella's first major league game so of course she had to ring the cowbell!

The big kids are obviously too cool to sit with their parents!

Isabella and Evan loved petting the stingrays in the tank behind the outfield!

Beach Day....

2009-06-15T21:39:00.002-04:00

On Friday, we went to the beach with the Wilsons and Caitlin! Gorgeous, warm water in the gulf, warm breezes and lots of fish! The older kids disappeared down the beach for awhile to check out the sandbar while Katie and Belle dug in the sand and swam...and swam ....and swam!
Caitlin silly blue-eyed boy!too cool to smile...these two are TROUBLE!

Sunset Dinner...

2009-06-09T08:56:00.004-04:00

This afternoon, we drove up to St. Pete to get the kids hair cut. We met Bruce there and since it took much longer than we planned, we drove over to St. Pete's Beach for dinner at Woody's Waterfront. We ate on the water and watched a beautiful sunset!

Jonah and his...ahem... Big Woody

No Doubt...

2009-06-04T20:35:00.005-04:00

My good friend, Cathy came to visit this week! We spent lots of time at the beach and on Tuesday night, we went to see No Doubt in Tampa! Cathy is a die hard fan ...me? not so much...but they put on an amazing show and I knew lots of the songs! Paramore opened for them which was very cool because I know Chelsea LOVES them and their lead singer is married to the lead singer of a band Bruce had signed to his record label a few years ago. Chelsea has met her several times and they were recently at my nephew's wedding...but I digress.

Cathy and I always have a great time together (she came to FL with a year ago to check out the area and find a house!). She makes me laugh...a lot...and we're never lacking for good, albeit inappropriately juvenile and silly, conversation! Love ya Cat! Can't wait till YOU and Matt and the boys move here!

We had dinner at our favorite biker bar on the river, Woody's the first night Cathy got here.
Eventually the amphitheatre was filled with a sold out crowd!Cathy waiting not so patiently for someone to come and wipe up the HUGE load of bird poop from her seat!
While we waited for the concert to begin, a very windy thunderstorm let loose and blew rain in all sides of the theater totally soaking us...thank goodness it stopped before the concert started! Aren't we lovely? Between wet head and Cathy's sunburn, we make quite the pair!

Science Fair...

2009-05-29T10:26:00.006-04:00

Evan' Science Fair experiment was very cool! He investigated which foods conduct electricity the best. With help from Bruce, he tested things like hot dogs, bananas, strawberries and bread! The strawberry lit the lamp the brightest! Good job Evan! He's had a really great year at Imagine and he rocked the Math portion of his FCAT...getting the highest score possible! We're so proud of him!

South Florida Museum...

2009-05-27T16:20:00.004-04:00

Part of her class in front of the megalodon jaw!

Isabella's first grade class took a field trip to the South Florida Museum yesterday. She was so worried that she would be missing it so we drove over and met her class there. It was really fun! They have great displays on Florida history and environment, an awesome planetarium and an aquarium with three manatees!

Her good friend, Patrick. The whole class wrote their own books and "published" them then read them at an author's tea last week (we got to go!). Patrick dedicated his book to Isabella...how sweet is that?

Early Seminoles stalking bison

The three manatees! The big one is named Snooty!

Funny Friday...

2009-05-22T15:48:00.002-04:00

Professor Cooper hard at work!

Saturday...

2009-05-21T20:41:00.002-04:00

Isabella and I went to a Kids' Festival near us to watch her Dance Team perform. It was bittersweet...she was excited to see the performance but really sad that had practiced for months and never got the chance to do it in front of an audience. They did an awesome job and she'll be up there performing next year! We walked around the festival and played carnival games, did crafts and she even got a Rock Star glitter tatoo!

When we got home, Isabella took a swim with Dad and Cooper...her first time to go all the way in the water with her brace. She was so nervous but finally did it! The next day, we went to the beach and she had a ball playing in the Gulf!

Post-Op Follow-Up...

2009-05-15T14:00:00.002-04:00

Isabella had her follow up appointment today...hard to believe that her surgery was almost a month ago! She's doing great and her xrays looked really good...nothing is moving around! She will wear her brace till the end of July and hopefully the bones will continue to grow together and we'll avoid a fusion surgery. The good news is that she got the ok to go in the pool and Gulf! The not so good news (not for her though!) is that Dr. Tuite would like her to stay home from school for the rest of the year. I'm so grateful to have this extra one on one time and especially happy that now she can go into the water all the way!

Isabella and the Beach....

2009-05-07T15:52:00.004-04:00

Isabella and I went to Anna Maria Island for a few hours today...and as usual, it was paradise! I never cease to be amazed by the beautiful turquise water in the Gulf! Even though she couldn't get completely wet yet, Isabella was able to go in a little bit, dig in the sand, collect shells and enjoy lunch at the Sand Bar! We even saw a few manatees today!

Painting Pottery...

2009-05-06T15:57:00.005-04:00

Isabella and I were looking for something to do today (that did not involve shopping!) and we decided to check out a new paint-your-own pottery place on Main Street. Isabella did an awesome job painting and really only needed help with the details...the dalmation spots were totally her idea! We'll pick up the finished product in about a week!

Afterwards we took a stroll down Main Street and window shopped on our way to Starbucks...to get Isabella's favorite whipped cream!

Somebody was getting tired of me taking her picture!

UPDATE: here's the finished product! how cute is that dalmation?

A Visit to School...

2009-05-04T14:11:00.002-04:00

Today I took Isabella to visit her class for a little while. All of the kids in her class made her a card and took turns reading them to her..sooo cute!

Family Fun Night...

2009-05-01T20:22:00.005-04:00

Isabella had an awesome day! Two of her best friends dropped by after school today and she was so happy to see them! I had to remind her not to run around the house with them! Of course they brought presents (you're creating a monster!) and their moms brought me a gift card to the spa (thanks Lindsey and Colleen!)
Evan's school had their Family Fun Night and Evan signed up to be in the Dunk Tank! Isabella had a blast throwing balls and dunking him a few times! She even got her hair painted before it got too hot and we headed home.
Earlier in the day, we relaxed on the lanai and made a sock puppet from the kit that Aunt Zita and Uncle Wint sent!

Pathology Results!

2009-04-30T16:24:00.002-04:00

Just got a second call from Dr. Tuite...the pathology results showed NO sarcoma! I spoke with him earlier this afternoon and he still hadn't heard anything and thought we would have to wait several more days for the results, but then he called back again. I think he was as happy as we are!

Isabella's First Outing...

2009-04-30T12:36:00.006-04:00

Of course Isabella's first outing would be shopping at Target! We got the wheelchair yesterday and I'm glad we had because even sitting in it, she pooped out pretty quickly. The wheelchair legrests are a little long, even on the shortest setting so I have to remember to keep some little pillows in the car that will pull her forward a little. We had fun picking out some new tops to fit over her brace and a new two piece bathing suit and spending some money that Nana and Papa sent. It was a beautiful day and she said she wasn't even sweating under her brace (she wears a cotton cami under it) so that's good...I was worried she'd be drenched but the orthotist said her body would adjust and he was right!

When we got home, she went right to bed for a little snooze!

Home Again, Home Again...

2009-04-28T20:27:00.005-04:00

Isabella with a new Build A Bear from Caitlyn!
Think she's happy to be home??

A fun bucket of goodies from the Imagine School (where Evan goes and she'll go next year!) a bunch of other gifts!

After seven days (and nights) at the hospital, it feels so good to be finally home! Dr. Tuite reviewed Isabella's xrays in her new brace and thought she looked pretty good...still a little crooked, but he felt it might be a result of pain and muscle spasms and should improve over the next few weeks. We stopped at the orthotics office on our way home for some adjustments to the new brace so it fits really well now.

Isabella was so excited to see the dogs I thought she was going to burst! It was great to be home with our boys and they all did an awesome job keeping the house together and Bruce even put on nice, clean sheets for me! The dining room table was nearly overflowing with gifts and packages that were dropped off while we were gone, so Isabella had a great time opening everything! I can't begin to thank you all and tell you how much it means to Bruce and me to have all your prayers covering us these past few weeks. Many of you we haven't know long at all, but your outpouring has been overwhelming and we feel so blessed!

The next few months will be hard for Isabella since she'll have to wear the brace any time she's out of bed. Her activity will also be limited and the hardest thing for her will be no swimming or boating, though once she heals, she'll be able to get wet. Swimming and going on the boat are two of her favorite things so I know it will be a struggle for her.

Tuesday Update...

2009-04-28T09:53:00.005-04:00

Isabella with Elias, Dr. Tuite's resident...Isabella thought it was very cool when Elias told her he played James in the play James and the Giant Peach when he was younger (she was watching it when he came in this morning!)

Isabella with Heather and Devin, two of her neurology Physician Assistants...I think they might be in one of Collin's science classes??

Hard to believe that Isabella's surgery was a week ago today. I'm still in kind of a fog and last night isn't helping much. When we went to bed, we were the only ones in the room, but by 2:00 AM, three new (noisey!) patients moved in. Around 3:00, Isabella was itching like crazy at her incision site. She still had her IV in so the nurse gave her some Benadryl through it. The IV's been in for several days so it was questionable how well it was functioning...after a few minutes, Isabella let us know that it definitely was not functioning because it was burning! So Caroline her nurse, removed the IV and gave her Vicodin and after an hour or so, we both fell asleep, cuddled on Isabella's bed.

This morning, PT came in and showed me how to do some stretching exercises for Isabella's very tight hamstrings. Isabella also walked about halfway around the unit...though she was a little wobbly, she did great and is getting much better at putting weight on her left leg. On the way back, I ran into Devin, one of the neurology PAs. He said they had just finished tumor board this morning where they discussed Isabella's case and her pathology results. They had several doctors consult on it and because they're not in agreement on the resuslts, they're sending it to St. Jude's and Johns Hopkins for a second opinion. Dr. Tuite said to call him Thursday if we don't hear from him before then. Keep those prayers coming as we try to stay positive!

Monday Morning Update...

2009-04-27T08:56:00.007-04:00

Lindsey, Caity and Isabella

Yesterday Bruce, the boys and the Johnson's came by for a visit! Bruce brought a big box of goodies from the VeStrands and Isabella said it felt like Christmas...gifts for Belle and me! Thanks you guys...we miss you sooo much!

No fever last night and lots of sleep for Isabella! The whole neuro gang was in this morning, including Dr. Tuite, who decided that she needs a new brace. The orthotist will come in to look at other options, definitely something longer and taller to give her more stability. Dr. Tuite then wants to see her in a week or so. I love that he's so conservative in terms of not rushing her back to surgery for a fusion...though he did say if we're not seeing improvement in about three weeks, that's something we'll reconsider.

The orthotist came by before lunch and measured her so hopefully we'll get the new brace before noon tomorrow!

Isabella and nurse Jane

Nurse Caroline was with Isabella for three nights