ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!

We all know the adage, "If it's not one thing, it's another", right?  Well, "another" happened this morning.  This might have been one of the best mornings of the summer so far.  We all arose in a great mood...I fixed pancakes and veggie bacon while watching my favorite show Merv Griffin's Crossword Puzzles...I had almost completed cleaning the kitchen, was on my to make my bed and don a bathing suit to take my wonderful kids to the pool when, lo and behold, something caught my eye on TV.  OK, it was "Brooke Knows Best" on VH1.  So I watched for FIVE WHOLE MINUTES, and when the commercial break came, I turned off the TV.  Coming back into the kitchen, I asked the kids where Palmer was.  Nobody knew.  Bad sign.  I looked in the front room where he had been playing, and discovered he had SHARPIED the tile, carpet, walls, and baseboards...and as he rushed into the kitchen to see why I was screaming at the top of my lungs, I also discovered he had given himself a goatee and tattoos up and down his arms.  (Not to mention deciding to become a pirate during this horrific incident.) Needless to say, I need a Calgon moment.  So if your little one has stayed away from the Sharpies today, be thankful!!

The Last of the Pics...

This was lunch everyday...since Tim was out working, I spoiled the kids by letting them eat at the pool bar.

This is Camden flying her Cinderella kite.  We tried flying our kites in Clearwater, but it just wasn't windy enough.  Here, we had three kites going at one time.  

Baywatch Brooksee!

We had just finished with a gut-busting meal at Bubba Gump's, which is right across the street from the main Ft. Lauderdale beach.  Lots of crazy lookin' people down there.  

Little Sis with her Big Bro...sometimes they love each other!

More At FTL

Palmer liked to play "golf club"...there was a putt-putt course at the hotel.

More At Fort Lauderdale

The hotel had an ice cream shop.  They thought this was the best ever!

Brooks was convinced that this was a lionfish.  The beach was full of seaweed on Sunday morning, and a man and his kids were gathering it and finding different critters caught/living in the seaweed.  We put some in our bucket, and the kids had fun fishing them out of the bucket and putting them back.

Aunt Jess and the kids!

Fort Lauderdale

These pics were taken in Fort Lauderdale this past weekend.  We got to hang out at the beach/pool while Tim was recruiting.  We had a great time!

  

More Pics...

Sisters at sunset...
Mom and daughters.
A double rainbow!  God is brilliant!
Pops and Brooks...
Dad and Camden, and Jess and Brooks went on waverunners out in the ocean.  Camden was scared the sharks might get her.

Clearwater Beach

Last week we went to Clearwater Beach for our vacation.  We had tons of fun, and everything went well, except for a bit of sickness the kids had to fight.  But they were fine to go play in the sand each day, and we all made it back without sunburns!  And yes, I do feel guilty living this close to paradise, and going especially when certain people are in Shattuck having babies!  (Love ya, Lacy!)

My favorite pic of the kiddos...they LOVE the beach!

Ok...this is right before Mom, Dad, Jess, Brooks, Camden and I went for a ride on the Banana Boat (Palmer called it the "Bana Bo").  Palmer is in the pic in a lifejacket because he's convinced he's big enough to do anything.  So a waverunner took us out into the ocean, and the guy was going pretty slowly due to the little ones on when I gave him the thumbs up sign to go faster...and boy did he, throwing Mom, Dad and Camden off the boat.  Camden was as stiff as a board and crying because she thought sharks were going to eat her.  I was laughing so hard I had no strength to help Mom back on, and she was so weak she just kept throwing her toes up to us like we could do something with them.  Then Jess got mad cause she wouldn't cooperate, so she hauled mom on herself, which was too funny to watch.  HILARIOUS!!!  I told Tara she would've died had she been there...and so would have everyone else who knows us.  But be proud--I didn't pee!  I did, however, slobber all over the place laughing so hard!
Finally---a good family pic!
Bathing "Beauties"!
I can't wait to crop this one...how romantic!

Just Wanted to Post This Pic

This was us hugging after the gatorade bath when the Gators won the super regionals...