Florida Fun

Ospreys guarding their nest

One of our "pet" manatees

pure joy

pool football

Stick 'em up

warming up in the hot tub

One of our lovely pool areas

Cannonball!

Bombs away!

One of the sentinels of the marina

poolside pizza party

Noodle jumper

So much fun

floaties galore

Using their noodles

grillin' and chillin'

not a bad office view

headed across Tampa Bay into St. Petersburg

Tropicana Stadium

Taking in a Rays game

a Clay-sized corn dog

Popcorn in a cool helmet bowl

Am I blue? Yes, I'm blue.

Cotton Candy

A baseball game staple

sticky awesomeness

sleeping off the baseball game

New Digs

Home Sweet Florida Home

View from the living room balcony

We spent a good portion of the day watching the manatees from the patio.

Neighborhood rules

exploring the pier...

…and finding this friend

The resort's private beach

The marina, looking back toward our condo from the beach area

The kids were thrilled to find a playground on the premises

A little piece of paradise

Road Trippin' with the Watts

• Getting off 10 minutes late, but still being in the car by 6:40 am
• A dozen breakfast burritos and several other assorted breakfast items from Mickey D's
• Lots of books being read
• TED Talks playing in the back for the kids
• Parents engaged in a conversation about biochemistry
• Someone losing a tooth
• Fabulous lunch stop at Paula Deen's The Lady and Sons in Savannah, GA
• Country music
• Making a grocery list
• Naps
• Curious George and Where the Red Fern Grows movies
• Convenience store snacks
• Four states
• 14 hours

Sweet Ruth,

You made me a mom twelve years ago, which simultaneously thrilled and terrified me. And, frankly, those feelings still hold true today. You are such an amazing young lady, and I am so thankful I have the opportunity to be your mom! While we have certainly experienced the normal trials and struggles of any mother-daughter relationship, for the most part, the years with you have been filled with joy! You have always been mature for your age, but this year I have noticed an even greater maturity in you, which shows itself in the topics of your conversations, the concerns you have for the future, the questions you ask, the ideas you share, the decisions you make, and even the ways you interact with your brothers and with Dad and me.

You participated in the Challenge A program at CC this year and excelled in every subject. Your eagerness to learn and your ability to self-motivate also point to your maturity. You did a great job of keeping yourself organized and taking care of all of your assignments, and, very often, you impressed us with the work you produced. You also participated in the CC student council. This allowed you to engage in several community service projects during the year, plan social activities with the other Challenge students, and to hold the office of treasurer during the second semester. Competing in PSIA again this year was another fun activity, and you made it to state in Spelling. You have continued to play the piano and have even composed original songs. You took an art class and blew us aways with your beautiful paintings. You played volleyball and basketball and took horse riding and archery lessons. You got to travel to New York City with Nana and Papa, where you attended fancy dinners and Broadway shows. And, you worked extra hard during the school year so you could finish early and be free to enjoy our two months at the beach unencumbered.

You love to shop, but you are normally very smart about it, seeking out bargains and trying to get the most for your money. You put a good deal of thought into what you are buying and why, even when someone else is paying. This is a skill that will serve you well throughout your life, so I'm glad to see you cultivating it now.

You have really been enjoying reading fantasy books this year, and this month alone, you've read somewhere in the neighborhood of a million words. You almost always have a book or Kindle in your hands in your free time, and you read impressively fast.

In the past year or so, you have become interested in talking about college. You are curious about many colleges and have researched quite a few on your own. You are especially fascinated with the military academies and have been trying to find out as much about those institutions as you can. I'll admit, it's a little hard for me to even believe it's time for you to start exploring college and career options, but again, you are taking a very mature approach, and I'm proud of you for that. No doubt, by the time it's time to actually make those decisions, you will be well informed and able to choose wisely.

You are a kind and courteous person, a thoughtful giver, a wonderful friend, and a terrific big sister. You have firm convictions, which you are not afraid to stand by. You prefer deep, meaningful conversations and relationships and tend to become frustrated with shallowness. You are able to interact easily and appropriately with everyone from small children to adults. You are comfortable asserting your opinions, but you don't make others feel bad about theirs. And, most of the time, you are open-minded and respectful and quick to admit if you are wrong or out of line.

I have absolutely loved watching you become who you are! You are beautiful inside and out and a true delight! Dad and I are so proud of you! Happy Birthday, sweet girl! I love you!

Love,

Mom

Birthday Party

This beautiful girl turned 12 today

To celebrate, we took a dinner cruise, which also required us to fight pirates

Cake time

Excited about a new fancy art kit

Favorite Things--North Carolina

Unfortunately, our time in North Carolina is just about to come to an end. And, frankly, if we didn't have another month of beach fun to look forward to in Florida, I would probably cry. We have had such a wonderful time here, and we have discovered a few new favorites. Not all of these things are specific to North Carolina, but this is where our love for them began.

Based on the name of this place (The Beach Shop and Grill) and a few online descriptions,
we thought it would be good, but maybe not exceptional. We were pleasantly surprised.  

Though we have Soma stores near where we live in Texas,
I had never been in one until we went shopping in Wilmington,
and I didn't even realize they had actual clothes. I saw this dress and instantly loved it,
but when I realized it felt like the softest pajamas, I was completely sold!
(And, speaking of pajamas, I also brought home these super cozy ones--
but with the crop pants, instead of shorts!)

Every kid in our family has enjoyed digging in the sand with these awesome Handtrux backhoe diggers.

Jeff and the kids gave me this delightful little journal for Mother's Day, and I am enjoying it so much!

Clay got this Mickey "weegle woggle" for his birthday,
but all the kids have had fun playing with it in the pool.

We've been to all kinds of museums, all over the place, and this was, by far, one of our favorites!

The Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at UNC was so much fun!

I have always been skeptical of water wings and have never really trusted them,
but the Puddle Jumper is a game changer and has made both Clay's and my
pool experience so much more enjoyable.

Not all Sheratons are created equal, of course, but this one in Chapel Hill
had the perfect suite for all of us and was very nice.

It's not so much Food Lion grocery stores that we love,
but the store brand hearty grain bread (which I couldn't find a picture of)
has been a huge it with the whole family, even my normal white-bread-only lovers.

Inspired by our Science weekend in Raleigh/Chapel Hill,
we have been watching TED talks in the evenings.
The kids (and adults) are completely enthralled.

 I LOVE the flavor and fragrance of the doTerra toothpaste!