Is it Spring Yet?

Becky here. Last time I tried to write a post that included photographs of Hunter and Blake, blogger refused my images....here's hoping that the problem has been repaired.

After a long, cold winter and the loss of all of our Christmas Tree palms, we're being given a bit of hope by our frozen-out bougainvilleas that seem to have recovered.

I'm using the rotting trunks of the Christmas Tree palms as supports for the very high vines I'm allowing to grow at the back of the yard...I need a screen to hide our backyard neighbor's clotheslines, dead palm, and crappy outdoor furniture.

Yay!!! I see my photograph published alright. :)

The Honey Pot

Blake and Hunter call Grandpa Al an "awesome Grandpa"...

they say it every so often.

Recently he sweetened the grandpa pot~~

he spells honey with an m...

As a result, they're earning rising grades on tests

and working their way through to the purchase of

a Nerf gun called "Deploy."

They earned $3 on March 21.

An A grade translates to A Dollar.

$1) Hunter got an A on a reading project/paper,

$1) Blake got an A on a math test,

$1) and Hunter passed his level test in Kumon.

Their mom says they spent the morning before school planning how they'll spend the evening earning more of the money pot~~2 Kumon assigments earns 4 dimes. They'll work together on Blake's Science paper about Saturn so he can get an A and another dollar...

There's another reward program going on~~and YOU can participate!

Pull tabs from the tops of pop cans...if you have any around, they're collecting them for school.

 The boys have stooped  low in their collecting~~ they asked their mom to drink a can of beer so they could get the pull tab.

 "Oh, brother!" she says.

Go, Daddy, Go!

Sunday's the day for the American Lung Association Stair Climb!

Adam...we're wishing you good luck!

Photographed in January at Animal Kingdom...Landon at 8 months...he's grown considerably since then...will get an updated photograph in May on his first birthday

Soon...

Landon's dad will be climbing stairs and racing through the skyways
for the American Lung Association again.

To participate with a donation, check out the sidebar, right.

u do it dog wash

This is Sarah getting hair-dried after a wash. I missed the shampoo.

Out of the tub and onto the rug for a little styling.

Such a good girl.

The shop keeper gave her a treat.

Check it out! http://www.udoitdogwash.net/

Sunset Pancakes

Becky and Al here from sunny Venice, Florida.

The new Maxine Barritt Park makes it possible to picnic above the dunes in full view of the Gulf of Mexico.

We camped on this spot right about 5:30 p.m., set up our camp stove and made ourselves some pancakes while we waited for the sun to do its thing.

We forgot our lighter (senior moment) so had to run over to Publix~~quick-like.

Shadows began to fall across the table.

Then the sun peeked through the fence below the railing to illuminate

 our plate of strawberries and the benches where we observed the water

and all the people setting up their chairs for the big event of the day.

A Mark Rothko version of the sunset in process...

When the sun slipped over the edge of the world, everyone packed up...

the chill and damp would soon be back.

We packed up and were one of the last to leave the park :)

Wished you were there.

Newton

Blake opted for the Newton wrestling tournament this weekend because they give the biggest trophies in the state. They were supposed to be 38" tall for 1st place. They looked more like 50" tall. Blake had to take home the second place trophy that was a mere 27" tall. We don't have a shelf that can hold a 27" tall trophy so I am really glad we didn't get the bigger one.

Here is a photo of him doing what he calls the barbed wire.