Weekend with the Days

This past weekend we were invited to be guests at the Vogt's Cypress Lodge, which is actually just a private residence south of Orlando on Lake Hatchineha but I felt like I was at a resort. The atmosphere was awesome, the hospitality was wonderful, the food was great and the company well anytime you are able to spend time with close friends then it is worth everything. Our close friends Steve, Diane and Austin Day were in Florida to spend Spring Break with her parents at their Winter home and the four of us were invited to spend the weekend with them. It was a great weekend.

I think Diane's parents Joyce and John enjoyed our company just as much as we enjoyed their's. Here is a picture of all of us together.

Off for an airboat ride............to spot for Gators and we saw plenty both big and small.

Jonah was my airboat buddy

After much hesitation, Courtney decided to ride the airboat from the canal around to the front of the house which was on the lake side. It was there that she decided the airboat was not for her and got off at the dock.
Phillip, Courtney, John (Diane's dad) and Steve coming around from the canal which is at the back of their house to the lake on the front side. This is when John punched the gas on the airboat and Courtney said "No, Thanks" and got off at the dock.

Phillip, Jonah, John (Diane's Dad) and Austin, off for an airboat ride.
Jonah and Austin fishing from the boat dock on the canal.

Jonah truely enjoyed being able to fish whenever he wanted to this weekend. Even in the rain, the kids were able to stay dry under the boat dock. Here is just one of the 17 fish that Jonah caught this weekend. None of which were keepers but Jonah didn't mind.

Courtney's first fish that she ever caught. She would not hold it so Austin stood behind her with the fish so that I could take her picture.
Courtney enjoyed fishing almost as much as Jonah did. However, she had no desire to go out in the boat, she was comfortable fishing off the dock in the canal.
The moon's reflection on the lake Friday night was awesome.
I am not sure which one I like better, probably the sunrise on Saturday morning. The bedroom that Phillip and I slept in had sliding glass doors that faced the lake so this was the view that I awoke to on Saturday morning.
It rained off and on all afternoon on Saturday, which did not stop any of us from having a good time. The boys did a lot of fishing, both from the dock and even battled the rain by taking the boat out. Diane's dad grilled his famous steaks for us. Phillip and Steve enjoyed an afternoon movie while Diane and I sat on the front porch talking while enjoying the view of the lake and watching the rain.

Oh, we also watched the WKU boys Basketball game, which was a close game down to the last second of O.T. We taught Courtney how to play Mexican Train and they taught us (the Starling's) how to play "pass the trash" which was a fun game.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

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Still Friends......

Where does the time go? Wyatt, Jonah, Ashley, Courtney

November 1999

Jonah, Wyatt, Ashley, Courtney

March 2008

When I met Phillip, 17 years ago, I met Minta. Even though we were not close friends at the time and never really planned for our kids to be so close in age, it just happened that way. Wyatt was born six months before Jonah and Ashley was born 2 months before Courtney and even though we knew that each other was pregnant we really did not become close until after Courtney was born and we started play group together on Wednesday mornings. It was at this time that Ashley and Courtney became "like two peas in a pod". They went everywhere together and majority of the time they were in there own little world playing not with the whole group but just the two of them. If you saw Courtney then you saw Ashley, even before they were walking. Over the years with our move, we have stilled stayed close friends and even though there has been times that the two girls have not been in contact with each other for a couple of years, they always get together like they have never been apart. Of the course, Wyatt and Jonah have always been good friends too but not like Ashley and Courtney.

Recently the kids and I spent the night with my friend Minta and her kids at Gold Head State Park to help celebrate Ashley's tenth birthday. It originally started out that Wyatt was going to spend the night with Jonah, while Courtney spent the night with Ashley and a few of her friends in a cabin at the park. Well, Minta thought that it would be neat for the all of us to stay at the lake and it was just that. Even with the down pouring of rain on Friday and not being able to do what was planned outdoors. Minta had a backup plan. The kids made homemade pizzas, had ice cream sundaes, played games, dressed up and anything else that you can do in a small cabin with no TV in the middle of the woods. It was really alot of FUN, even Wyatt and Jonah enjoyed themselves in a cabin full of girls. Minta and I sat on the porch of the cabin till late listening to the rain and catching up on our lives, with the kids laughter in the background. Thank goodness the rain ended during the night and we were able to wake up and enjoy some of the activities at the park.

Mud Anyone?

This afternoon Jonah, Courtney and their friends decided that since their moms would not let them go swimming at the pool, they would play in the mud. Leslie and I who were enjoying our free time painting, could hear the kids outside playing and Leslie's husband even told us that the kids were having mud fights but we never thought this..............
Trey and Jonah
Courtney and Andie

Totally covered and totally having FUN!!

What a MESS!!

Next time I think we'll let them go swimming.

Green Eggs and Ham

Every year I fix green eggs and ham for Dr Seuss day. Usually, we read Green Eggs and Ham and we have made hats out of paper before. But this year, I decided to make the hats, yes, call me crazy. This is probably one of the craziest things that I have done in a very long time (I think). I do not care to sew at all and in fact my sewing machine has been used more by other people then by myself. With no pattern, I bought the material (took a wild guess on how much) and spent several hours making these hats so that my kids could wear them for a hour if that. They did turn out pretty cute, Phillip and my neighbor were impressed and Jonah and Courtney decided wear their Thing 1 and Thing 2 sweatshirts even though it was in the high 70's. Now, I realize my kids are bordering on the age of being to old, but I never hear a complaint so until that day comes or until I start forgetting what day it is, I guess we will enjoy our green eggs and ham. Thing 1 and Thing 2 waiting on their green eggs and ham.
The kids can be a little dramatic, they eat green eggs and ham every year and every year they act like it is the first time.

We all like Green Eggs and Ham!!!
Check out Courtney's teeth (ham) with her eggs.