Friday

Well today I saw the great sunrise as I was pulling out of our driveway. The best place to take a picture along our road is to pull into the fire station, gets all the houses and wires out the way so a clear shot is possible. Here is the result:

Riley was an early bird this morning, already up when I got there. We were in no hurry so just took our time. We were ready to leave for our errands at about 0830. I took the week off from Weight Watchers, will be going next Friday.

Our first stop was Home Depot, wanted to pick up one of the mixed bloom containers for Andy and Nikki to put on their porch. We also walked around and looked at everything. Stopped by the paint department to pick out some sample cards. Riley decided he really liked them so I got some of the small square ones and he played with them all morning back at the apartment. He stacked them, spread them out and tried to put them in his pocket but he didn't have any pockets so it was kind of hard to do and very funny to watch.

Stopped by WalMart to just walk around. I did find a really cute bucket hat for Riley to wear on our walks, need to start protecting that sensitive skin from the sun. Our walks seem to get longer and longer and the sun stronger and stronger.

Also got two new pair of shorts for Dan, it is really hit or miss whether they have the color and style in his size that he likes. So I always check to see what the have and today we lucked out.

We also played with his tunnel, Dan got it for him at IKEA yesterday. He really likes climbing in and out of it. Plus he pulls all his blankets into it and rolls around inside. He is really quick getting from one end to the other and the first time he bonked right into my camera as I was trying to take pictures. We had a good laugh about that.

That is pretty much how we spent our day.

Tammy and Tom came over to load the Expedition with stuff for the yard sale at Jodi's tomorrow. We had more then would fit in the Honda and didn't really want to take more then one car. So we are all set for the morning.

I'm Beginning to Hate My Days Off!

Turned into a very busy day and not much got crossed of my to do list. Dan scheduled Thursday as a day off and we got a bunch of our weekend chores done today.

Decided we would head over to Patrick to go to the Commissary. There were a couple of things we had to do before heading over that way. Went to the bank, WalMart to recharge our gift card so we could get gas. Never thought I would be excited about the gas only costing $3.48 a gallon, pretty sad. Breakfast at Sonic and then we were on our way.

The road out by Tammy's has really changed and I'm glad that Mum and Dad warned me that it was kind of strange and to watch out because there had been a couple of serious accidents since the change in traffic flow. Everything is so different because you drive on the new road and can't even see the old road in some places. Well we made it through with no problems and coming back we turn off just after Harmony and take Hickory Tree back to our house so we didn't have to drive on the new part of the road again today.

Shopping at the Commissary wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, what with today being payday. But there were some inconsiderate people who just can't seem to keep their cart on their side of the aisle or have to park right in the middle of the aisle. Lots of registers open so we didn't even have to wait and we had one of the best baggers today. Never got behind with the bagging and was done before I had finished paying and getting my change.

Nothing exciting on the drive back but it seemed to go quicker then usual. Got home and Chris was just leaving for work, don't know when I will see him again.

Got everything unloaded and put away. That usually takes anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, it has to be one of my least favorite chores, right up there with dusting. At least I only have to do it once a month. Kind of like dusting.

Next stop was IKEA, it is so nice that it is an easy trip for us. Hop on the turnpike get off at I-4, next exit and we are there. We knew exactly what we were going for so we were pretty much in and out. Got mostly storage containers and a couple of terracotta pots. We did go back in because we had to get a snack. Dan can't go to IKEA without getting the hot dog combo for $2.50. Makes for a cheap lunch.

On the way home stopped by Ritz Cameras on Sand Lake, had to get a couple of filters. Then decided to go to the Borders that is right there. Haven't been to book store in ages. Can't wait until the one opens in the Loop.

Finally on our way home. Once we got there I went to work on my digital layout and finally finished it. Really like the way it turned out and learned lots of new things and remembered how to do lots of old things. Means some of the stuff has sunk in. Here is the layout:

Andy and Riley stopped by to pick up the stuff I got at the Commissary for them. They visited for a bit. Riley cold seems to be a little worse so hopeful it is running it's course.

I really need a day off where I don't do anything. But as Dan says, "You can sleep when you are dead."

It's Official

Andy just called me and let me know it's official; Kaleigh will be born on May 15 at about 5 PM. Nikki has to be at the hospital at 1430 and the c-section is suppose to start at about 1630 so anytime after that will be the time. Can't believe they schedule them so late in the day but I guess that is the way it is and we will be there.

Back to our day. Riley and I were moving kind of slow this morning. He wanted to sit in my lap for quite a while and I wasn't going to argue with that. So we sat there for about a half hour and watched Good Morning America. Then it was time for breakfast and after that we headed to the lake front for our walk.

Figured we would miss GG and Jagee and we did but we did see them as we were turning onto Lake Shore and they were turning onto Brown Chapel. The parking lot where we always park only had two empty slots so that proved we were later than normal.

There is something going on at that end of the lake front. There are the silt screens everywhere. Wonder what they are doing?

It started out kind of cool and very breezy. Made it so we couldn't see anything in the pond, so don't know if the gators were there or not. To many ripples to be able to tell. Got to the center parking lot and in drives GG and Jagee, so we talked to them and caught up all the excitement in their lives.

On the way back to the car it started getting warmer and Riley took his coat off and I only ran over it once with the stroller. Stopped at Sonic on the way home.

Riley took a good nap today and this is what greeted me when I went in to get him after his nap. Wish I could say that this was bed head but it is the way his hair looked all day. I brushed it and tried to get it lay down but it was just going to do it's own thing today. How can you not love this face?

Ate lunch and Riley really wanted to go out for another walk, so I gave in and said we could go for a short one. But it ended up being longer then I thought it would be, because it was really nice outside. This was our view as we walked next to the pond toward the office.


Riley was kind of disappointed when we just walked by the playground and didn't stop. Dan has been spoiling him by taking him to the park whenever he stops by.

Got back to the apartment and Riley kept pointing to something up on the bar and the only thing I could see were the nail clippers. So I set him on my lap facing me and we cut his nails. I would do a couple and they he would try to make the clippers work and I would do a couple more. Finally got them all cut but it took about 15 minutes. There was no fighting or pulling away so this seemed to work pretty good. Don't know if it will next time but I'll have to give it a try.

Spent most of the evening doing just one lesson of the digital class. I have got to get my new computer that will have some storage space, memory, and speed. Should be ordering it in the next couple of weeks. Can't wait.

Unusual Day

Riley was a two fisted eater this morning. He didn't get much of the yogurt into his mouth but he had a good time trying. I had to keep taking one of the sticky spoons from him and give him a couple of spoonfuls and then he would want both spoons again.

Nikki had her doctor's appointment this morning and they decided her blood pressure was a bit high so she should come back in the afternoon to see the doctor then. This is one that will actually perform her c-section.

So I got a couple of hours off. Came home and finished up balancing the checking accounts and then worked on my week 4 lesson of my digital class. It was really last week I should have been doing this but I had a certain picture in mind and I didn't get it until this past weekend. I got about a third of the way through the lessons.

When I got back to the apartment Riley was just getting up from his nap. I gave him lunch, mac and cheese. Then we played for a while. Dan called and said he was going by Home Depot and would pick up another bag of mulch for the little garden. So he stopped by and spread the mulch and then he and Riley went out for a walk. While they were gone Nikki got back from the afternoon appointment.

They decided her blood pressure was only a little bit high and not enough to get worried about right now. Also found out the Kaleigh Grace should put in an appearance on either the 15th or 16th of May. They only schedule c-sections on Thursday and Friday. So that is a little earlier then we thought it would be. Doesn't hurt Nikki's feelings at all.

Got home and did some more work on the week 4 lesson. Plus I have been playing a game of Scrabble with Andy on Facebook, so we have been going back and forth with that.

Chris came home for a while. Speaking of Chris he got his tax rebate today. So I guess everyone else should be on the look out for theirs. He wasn't home long, had to leave because his store sold out of the Grand Theft Auto and he had to pick some up from another store and take them to his. But it didn't take him long because he just drove in the driveway. Not use to him being home this much.

Back to check on the Scrabble game.

Blurry Riley

I arrive at Nikki and Andy's just in time to see the sunrise and take a picture from their parking lot. I'm sure this will only last another couple of weeks or so. But I'm enjoying it now.



I spend a lot of time taking pictures that look like this. They are either blurry, very close up, or Riley looks down just as I snap the shot. Most of the time time he is trying to get to the camera so he can see himself in the preview screen. He can look at those pictures for forever.


This isn't a bad shot, just that he is looking down and away from me. The best ones I usually get now are the ones I take on our walks and he is strapped in the stroller. Or when There is someone else around who can distract him away from the camera.





















I know it looks like he is just sitting there but really he is starting to run to me.


We had a pretty good day. Nice morning for a walk, breezy and still cool. So we took a longer walk, retraced our steps a bit just so we could stay outside longer.

Riley has another runny nose and starting to get a bit horse. He went down for his nap earlier than normal so he was up by noon. Spent the afternoon playing and he wasn't going to let me pick up the mega blocks. He wasn't playing with them but they couldn't be in the bag. All the other toys could be picked up but not them.

Just as I was leaving Chris arrived to drop off a game with Andy. He went in to play with Riley for a bit and I headed home. Got a nice surprise, Dan had dinner all cooked. Chicken, rice and corn, it was delicious.

I'll be going to bed early tonight, I was tired all day for some reason. As I'm going to bed, Chris will be leaving for work. Midnight release of Grand Theft Auto tonight so the Game Stops will be open for a few hours.

A Day In Pictures

We headed out a little earlier than usual for our walk and got to see the sunrise, a few more clouds would have made for a more interesting photo but this is still beautiful.

Mama and babies were fending off an alligator about 5 feet away, she was just quack, quack, quacking away and the gator finally turned around and headed to the other side of the pond.

We walked out to the point by the kids playground and saw all sorts of things. This limpkin was just hanging out on one of the light poles.

Not sure if these are moorhens or what but they had three babies, the black ball in front of them is one baby.

After our walk we went to Sonic and who is pulling in as we are leaving but Tammy, Tom, and Luke. So we drive back around and talk to them for a bit and decide to head over to their house after we stop by ours to pick up some stuff.

Looked at a bunch of Tammy's pictures and heard all about the trip. Sure sounds like fun and we wish we had been along for the ride. We now know this is definitely on our list of cruises to take.

Then we headed over to Andy and Nikki's. I hadn't taken many pictures of Nikki pregnant this time and I wanted to get a few. Plus I took some of Andy and Nikki with Riley. Our main purpose for going over was to help Andy with a surprise he had planned for Nikki. She was going out with Ashley for the afternoon. And this is what we did:

Went to Home Depot and got some flowers, dirt, and mulch and started a little garden in their entry way. It looks really good and there is room to expand when we see what does well in that area.

When we were all done and driving away, I looked in the rear-view mirror and this is what I saw on the side of the car. So I had to stop and get a picture. It was very beautiful, some kind of dragonfly. Looked kind of like a tiger.

Once we got home watched the race and for the second day in a row it was a pretty exciting race with ending you didn't see coming.

Now the trivia for the day. What happened over the course of the summer ten years ago?

Can you believe it has been that long since Mark Macguire and Sammy Sosa had those record homerun seasons. That was one of the most exciting seasons in baseball I can remember. Of course the Red Sox winning two World Series was pretty exciting too.

Gators, Gators, Everywhere Gators

Well today was definitely filled with wildlife. All the baby sandhill cranes are getting big, looking more like birds than dinosaurs. This is the single chick that lives down by the center parking lot. The ones at the other end of the pond have picked up another chick so that pair now has three chicks. Don't know where the third one came from, maybe they chicknapped him.


The gator population has increased by leaps and bounds. Don't know where they keep coming from but today we saw ten, that's right ten. They were all two - three feet long. Most were on the far edge of the pond nearest the lake but a couple were in the center of the pond.


I think it is kind of interesting how they just seem to hang in the water with their head floating on the surface.

After our walk went to WalMart, Sonic, and Publix. Not much new or exciting at any of these places. Then it was home to do chores. Dan took care of the water conditioner and fertilizing the yard. I worked on uploading more picture, I'm now halfway through March. Almost all caught up. I guess this Thursday I will be working on April's pictures, where did the month go?

We went to lunch at Taco Bell and arrived just when everyone else did. So we all ended up waiting for our food to be made. I love mexican food, doesn't matter where it comes from. Just easier to figure the points for Taco Bell or Chipotles.

The cruisers are cruisers no more. By the time I post this they will be in the air heading back to sunny Florida. When I talked to Tammy they were in San Diego waiting for their flight. Can't wait to hear all the stories and see the pictures. Have already heard one story and leave it to Tom to provide a great vacation tale.

We will be heading up to the airport to drop of the Expedition so they will have a ride home.