Washington DC or Bust!

Actually, these first few are in Baltimore. So there, threw you off. Me and da Momma having a Lemon Stick, which is a peppermint stick pushed into a lemon with just the tip cut off. You suck the lemon juice up through the peppermint stick. And as a certain sister would say, Wahla! You have a refreshing little drink! We're quite the pair, we ate enough sugar on the trip to fill many a five pound bag. This was just one of many indulgences. The rest we tried not to be captured on film during our binges.

Lemon sticks for everyone, courtesy of Aunt Laura! Yum!

Well, maybe not the rock-climbing wall just yet. First maybe I ought to consider walking...

Or sliding...

Is it illegal to be this cute? I mean, look at this little guy!

This picture is so sweet, Izzy loving on Leif, as usual, and Leif and Willie touching hands from their strollers. Awww...

Izzy was so proud that by the end of the playtime, she could do these wiggly things herself! Check out the tongue in concentration!

These pictures just had to be shown in succession...

That's a happy boy, not sad... Wheeeeeee....

Loved that, can we do it twenty-five more times?

Aaaah, the boy.

Look at all the cuties! A whole house full!

I love this picture of Mom, it looks like something from a magazine to me. Laura definitely has the eye...

Me and sweet Izzy cuddling on the couch.

Izzy and Leifypants, as she calls him, share raviolis together. Love that Leify face!

Willie shares some more of said ravioli. Those are KK eyes if I ever saw 'em.

Izzy loved SP's drum set, she and Leif had a grand ole time playing it.

Willie enjoys SP's picnic table

Spring Has Sprung...AGAIN!

The astonishing thing about DC for us Floridians, is that it is still SPRING! The azaleas are all out, the dogwoods in full bloom, the cherry trees past prime, and the tulips are incredible! It was 50 degrees every day except the last, in which it reached 80 or so. Needless to say, we wore the same jeans every day as that was all we brought. It was beautiful everywhere you looked though, except for when it was raining!

Izzy shows off Aunt Laura's fabulous bridalwreath and picket fenced yard.

The only picture I actually have of Cathleen, taken by someone else on my camera, and containing a really nice picture of me getting ready for bed. Focus in on Cathleen, please. She was so awake, though in this picture her eyes aren't fully open. Look at all that dark hair! It really was a shock for me every time I looked down at her, I'm just so used to white blondes. We enjoyed her so much, it just makes you want to have another one... sorry, Shawn. His wallet hurts just thinking about it.

Gotta love my Willie boy, here he is having a great time on Sean's fire engine. He figured out how to scoot forward and reverse but no steering. He loved it! Too bad Christmas is so far away...

This elephant was pacing the four cages, back and forth, back and forth. All the schoolkids were running every which way to try to see him in the cage he was in. William, Izzy and I chose to stand in one spot and wait for him to come back. William was enchanted with him, pointing at him and saying over and over, "eh laaaa?" which in Willie means, do you see that? At first, I thought, what a horrible life he has, just walking back and forth in the cages. A few minutes later, I heard a zoo lady telling someone else that actually the elephants are rotated between the cages and a natural habitat area. They actually are in the cage for a short time. It's just to give you a close-up view and to get an idea of how big they truly are. I felt a little better after that, and I did enjoy seeing Willie see his first elephant up close and personal.

This is Tai Shan, a panda born at the zoo just a couple weeks before Sean Patrick was born! He was most accomodating at the window. He played and ate, pooped and napped, and just an all around good watch. He stayed right next to the window so we could all see his antics. William and Izzy were literally a couple feet away most of the time, separated only by the heavy glass! Most impressive were his teeth, which made short work of that stick of bamboo. Most interesting was the pooping session, in which they are very tidy creatures. They go up to a rocky ledge, hang their bottoms over the ledge and go. They don't want that stuff anywhere near their living area. Izzy was fascinated by the yellow-green stuff, product of lots and lots of bamboo. OK, no more potty talk.

The multi-tasker in action. This momma knows exactly what it's like!

Sean Patrick describes the big construction trucks over at the soon-to-be elephant house. The kids watched those trucks forever, it seemed. They couldn't get enough. He's such a cutie. He got a haircut a day or two after this and he looked so handsome!

WE LEAVE TOMORROW!

Tomorrow? Does that say tomorrow? Oh geez, I'd better go, I still have to tidy the kitchen, clean out the van, vacuum the van, do the last load of laundry, take Katy to a softball game, make dinner for tonight, tidy the living room, sweep my bedroom, pack my clothes, pack Willie's stuff, pack Izzy's stuff, load the van, make sure I have my documents to get on base, call Mom and recheck our time of meeting, clean the microwave (no really, it's BAAAAD), write the how to for the washing machine for Katy, water the plants, find the last bag of baby clothes, pack the snacks for the kids and the sweets for Nanny, dye my hair (a-gain), and take a shower, all while taking "care" of my kids. Hmmm, sounds like a good time to follow Flylady, get dressed down to your laced up sneakers, and get MOVING, one thing at a time. Now if I could only print that list...

William's First Haircut

I actually blogged this a few days ago but it didn't go through for some reason. So, given that I don't remember squat from five minutes ago, here we go again.

There was no getting around it. Today was the day. It had been coming, though I had put it off numerous times for various reasons, mostly because of his sweet curls on his nape. But there I was, looking at what was becoming a mullet on the back of his head. Looking, at what was already a combover on the top of his head. And yes, looking, at what might be considered "fluff" falling over his ears. Handsome? Of course. Well-groomed? No. And so it was time, whether I was ready or not. I sat him up on the counter, and took out my best pair (heehee :) ) of kids' rounded tip scissors. Surprisingly sharp on his angel fine hair, they snipped through over a year of baby fuzz, leaving behind the face of a baby becoming a boy. He was very good, playing happily with a clam shell that Sarah had painted red, dialing the telephone (his favorite thing in the world), and eating large quantities of crackers before tossing the rest all over the counter and floor. I carefully placed his little curls and snippings of fuzz in a baggy. It's more soft down than hair clippings. I was worried about cutting his hair myself, but it was not as difficult as I thought. And so, the little boy is emerging, not so slowly but ever so surely.

Heeeeeeeeeere's Handsome! He wore the shirt for about thirty seconds before completely soaking it watching Izzy in the bathtub. He had already had a quick shower with Daddy, and smelled delicious from his new Johnson's vanilla oatmeal wash.

A little over the ears action

The rear view, although truthfully it's not his cutest "rear view" if you know what I mean!

A New Member of the Gill Clan

Carolyn (Gill) and Adam Dempsey (and myself of course!) are proud to announce that Cathleen Niamh Dempsey was born Sunday, April 20 at home. She weighed 6 lbs 14 ounces and has a head full of dark hair. For pictures and the story of the home birth, click on The Dempsey Family link on the right side of this page. She's beautiful and we all can't wait to see her. Sean Patrick is adjusting, slowly but surely! He's going to be a great big brother. I know she will learn The Star Spangled Banner in no time, as he sings it at the top of his lungs in a most adorable fashion.

I had planned to fly up there May 13, but given that she was a week early, Mom and I have bumped our trip up to this coming week. We will be driving up early Sunday morning with Isabelle and William in tow. It is a twelve hour trip but we will be able to take all these girl clothes I've been holding *just in case* and have our car seats, dvd players, music, etc. Plus, we won't have to rent a car. Most importantly, we get there ASAP! Isabelle can hardly stand the few days wait, as I had told her "as soon as the baby is born". Well, the baby is here and she wants to go NOW! I told her we had to pack her luggage, which she adores, and suddenly she is all happiness. Oooooh, my luggage, Momma? Oh yes, your very own luggage, dearie. We will be gone several days, but as Twopy is the Blogger Queen, I may try to post while I'm up there. We plan to hit the National Zoo, this big carousel that Izzy is dying to go on, maybe an animal farm that Sean Patrick likes, and best of all, play with Cousins Leify and Sean! I am really looking forward to seeing them, as I have never been to their "new" home. We will also get to see Laura and Jason's new home, a historic home in Maryland. There's an Amish market there that she's mentioned that I want to see. It's going to be a great trip!

While I'm gone, my Shawn will be taking Sarah and Katy to school and whatnot. I plan to put a couple meals in the freezer before I go and a list of possible "pantry dinners" so the girls won't have to eat noodles every night! They are a bit miffed that they aren't going but that's what happens when you are half-grown! School will be out in five short weeks, thank heavens. I'm ready to stop, for sure. Our summer plans include Camp Weed for Sarah, swimming lessons for Katy and Izzy, visit from Dempseys in July, Egyptian history class at Museum of Natural History in Gainesville for Sarah, sleepovers, bonfires, and plenty of swimming. Lord knows that fishing is probably the top priority for all three at this point! Anyway, we are looking forward to the next few months of family time. I'm sure come fall it'll be a different story! :)

By the way, in case you were wondering how to pronounce baby's middle name, it's Neev, it's Irish, and means Gaelic goddess. Betcha didn't know that one!

A Trip To The Deep Blue Sea

Jonny and Jenny invited us to go grouper fishing with them yesterday, along with longtime Shrimp Landing fisherman Ray Boulay. We left at 5:30, dropped Izzy and Willie at Nanny's in Crystal River, and drove down to Shrimp Landing, just as dawn was breaking. It was a beautiful morning, clear, cool, and breezy. Well, maybe a bit too breezy. The seas were two to three feet, moderate chop, just as predicted. It was quite a bit "rolly" on the hour trip to the first "honey hole". Unfortunately, Jenny, who has never been seasick in her life, felt very queasy. This came and went throughout the day, but despite numerous "el sickie" off the back of the boat, she never complained or asked to go home. And she knew it wasn't going to get any better, because the next spot was an additional hour drive. She was amazing! Let's just say, she was never so happy to see Shrimp Landing in all her life. And she doesn't eat fish. Go figure how she got hooked up (no pun intended) with this family!

Proud Papa teaching his girl to fish. Thankfully, she's as "hooked" as he is! She didn't want to come in. Again. She hooked grouper, grunts, and the catch of the day, a huge lemon shark that lifted her right out of her boots! As it got near the boat, even Shawn was struggling trying to keep it coming up. It finally cut the line and swam away, but Shawn thought it was between 50 and 75 pounds, maybe 7 feet long. Glad we didn't have to land that one, but wish she could've seen it closer. One of the things I loved most was the color of the water out there. We were in twenty feet, then 55 feet and the water was INCREDIBLE! It was the purest blue and clear as a bell. You could see your fish coming up long before it was near the boat. Every time I looked down at the water beside the boat, I was surprised again at the amazing color. A sight to behold, for sure.

The big haul! A huge white cooler, slam full. Shawn is happy. We can go home.

Jonny, Sarah, and Emma show off the catch. I think Jonny must've picked out the smallest grunt for the photo, the rest were huge, up to two pounds, which for a grunt is big. Sarah is holding a gag grouper, a primo priced fish.

Momma's favorite catch of the day, an adorable blowfish. He even puffed up for the girls when we put him in with the other fish. He was a big guy, too. Not like some the fishermen used to try to bring in and have me clean. I was proud to be the sole provider of one cute blowfish. The other provider didn't count, it was a crab trap. Sarah's adoration for the fish almost reached mine. De Grande (Laura) and I have special affinities for these funny fellows. And one other cool note, the girls got to see flying fish on our way in, they were catching our waves like true surfers. Very cool, indeed.

More Fishy Business

Jenny's MawMaw came with us, hoping to catch a 20-pounder! She's very into fishing and did not appreciate the grunts that kept clogging her line, preventing grouper from getting on there. She caught at least two or three legal fish, though, so I think she was happy!

Katy refused to hold the fish for the picture but she had a great time on the boat! She kept telling Ray, a lifelong commercial fisherman, "Reel, reel, reel! Reel! Reel!" every time he caught a fish. He thought it was funny, and good naturedly told her to wear her cheerleading outfit for the next trip!

All aboard the Pappy II, Jonny's stone crab boat. We even pulled some crab traps on the way in and got some fresh claws for dinner. Yum! Thanks, brother!

The fishermen revel in their catch, nothing like a full cooler after a hard day fishing! Total take: 11 gag grouper, 9 red grouper, fifty pounds of BIG grunts, two blowfish, a remora, fifteen pounds of claws, and Momma's sunburned face. Not bad, eh? It was a great, great day. If you haven't been grouper fishing, you HAVE to go. Just hit up Jen for some Dramamine. :)

Fun, Fun For Everyone

Well, do you want the good news or the bad news? OK, good news first. I passed my Realtors class and exam. It's done. Finite. Over. HIS-tory. Bad news? I still have to take the state exam. Unfortunately, it's a wee bit more troubling, no passing score means thirty days to retry, no passing score then means taking the DADBLUM class over and THEN retrying. I, however, intend to pass on the first (and only) try. That means studying like a maniac until I receive the state's approval for taking the exam. Not only do I have to apply, I have to get the state of Florida to LET me take the exam. Plus, the small problem of fingerprinting. You have to have an appointment, it's electronic, and only the outrageous fee of $61! I was like, yo, this is not a difficult task. It's electronic for pete's sake. They don't even have to buy ink. They don't even have to have anyone there really! Oh, the wonders of our government. I was thinking, gee, wonder if I could apply part of my TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR TAX BILL to that. I guess not. I can't take much action as it might show up in my background check. Which might show a history of fish-cleaning, swim-team last-place finisher, burnt-a-pot-of-noodles-last-week-so-badly-I-had-to-throw-out-my-Paul-Revere-pan-from-college, (ain't done THAT before) grouper-gutter for my husband, part-time clam farmer, speech therapist at a not-so-well-run clinic, diaper-changer, Pad Thai maker, football lover, mesome crab hater (for you de grande), one heck of a crazy Momma am I. In any event, I shall remain the same, Realtor or no. You needn't worry that I will sell my good filleting knife (never) or that I will stop writing "yo" in my blog, (not gonna happen) or that my garbage will ever smell like roses (between Pullups and diapers and fish and wasted leftovers, absolutely not on your life gonna happen), no, you needn't worry a bit. I'll still be me, I'll just be me, Caryn D., LLC.

Thank you.
And good night.

Hey, We Have A New Link!

If you didn't get an e-mail link to it already, here's the link for our recent photo session at Picture People! It was a lot of fun! We'll be taking William back soon for some baby pictures. Enjoy!

Sweet Dreams

Willie stayed awake the whole day, no nap. When we rode in to the ramp, he was getting sleepy. Shawn went to get the trailer and POOF! Out he went. So I laid him in his portable boat crib, aka storage tub, so I could help Shawn load the boat on the trailer. This picture should have been taken three hours before but Willie wouldn't go for it. He played in there for some time and ate his lunch there, etc., but no nap for Willie. Don't you love his little OP swim trunks and watershirt? He's so handsome...