Florida

My mom (who is turning 60 this summer and has always wanted to snorkel) my aunt and I went to Miami and the Florida Keys! The girls were taken care of by Caleb and various generous friends. And I had a great time. (I am waiting to do pictures until I have Kathy's too)
Highlights-
Day 1-Pollo Tropical Cuban fast food including beans & rice and plantains.
Day 2-Kayaking in a mangrove swamp in a Key State Park and fancy dinner thanks to Bill on Duval Street, Key West
Day 3-boat trip to Dry Tortugas, Fort Jefferson, fun snorkeling, back on land-Key Lime pie
Day 4-the smell of frankincense at the Episcopal church, walking a bit on Seven Mile Bridge, tons of Alligators in the Everglades! and giggling about our annoying hotel clerk
Day 5-Snorkeling on a reef-all the beautiful fish including a big school of black & blue parrot fish munching on the coral, Art deco on South Beach
Day 6-being back home with my family.

My Birthday

I turned 31 this month.
My family came to see the bats on Mother's day but they decided not to come out from under the bridge (big disappointment for Lydia) but we still had a wonderful dinner and time at the park. Guess what is Lydia's favorite dress right now! The red spot on Gloria's nose is sidewalk burn-ouch. Then she bit a hole in her tongue, fell out of her crib, and throws up often while in childcare-poor baby!

Book Review 2

Pope & Bankers by Jack Cashill Review

If you are interested in finance and economics, history and Christian thought, then this book is for you. As I read the TIME magazine pretty much cover to cover, I skip the financial section (even though I was a business major). But Caleb is really interested in it so I decided to get this book through BookSneeze (a great way to get free books when you review them on your blog from Thomas Nelson publishing).

The subtitle of A Cultural History on Credit and Debt from Aristotle to AIG could have replaced those with Moses to Dennis Ramsey. The title isn’t openly religious but in the introduction it is clear where Jack Cashill is writing from and he leaves no doubt to his opinions on matters either. The first chapter tells how term usury was used in the past (I do it as I have received interest in a savings account and pay it in our mortgage). The beginning historical chapters were fascinating to me. He uses the KJV of the Bible for his prophet and Jesus chapters (which fit the feel). It began to drag for me personally once we got into European banking systems. New thoughts; Jewish and Italian importance in developing modern economies and moral problems in our current crisis.

Overall the writing is insightful and sometime humorous. My favorite paragraph: “In reading Calvin and Luther, one cannot help but be impressed by their super-sized certitude…church fathers…moved forward but always probingly, with continual backward glances at the wise men who preceded them…For Calvin and Luther, it was pedal o the metal, with no looking back until they got to Jesus.”

While his history is great, his call to act is lacking.

Friendship - Then & Now

Each year there is a food fair for the last meeting of Friendship International and many of the international ladies dress in 'traditional dress.' And this is as close as we get in Texas. And I have been wearing the same thing for three years now (I need a new outfit for next year-maybe a denim skirt!) And you can tell its been two years because my hair is the same length!
Gloria also wore the same outfit Lydia wore two years ago!

Each year there is a food fair for the last meeting of Friendship International and many of the international ladies dress in 'traditional dress.' And this is as close as we get in Texas. And I have been wearing the same thing for three years now (I need a new outfit for next year-maybe a denim skirt!)
Gloria also wore the same outfit Lydia wore two years ago!

Hair!

I love little girls to have short hair with bangs. Lydia said that she wanted to have long hair. So each night when I brushed her hair (which she hates) I told her that girls with long hair had to have their hair brushed a lot. So she decided after 3 days that she wanted a hair cut!!! I guess I am tricky.
Gloria on the other hand still has never had her hair cut and its getting really long!

Friendship Tea Party

Each year at Friendship International one of the programs is the Children's Tea Party so the ladies can see what their kids have been doing all year. They all come in and have a tea party with snacks and then the little ones left and the big ones stayed and did a play of Madeline.

And never fail each year they take the uneaten snacks out of the kids hands when the story is over. Last year Lydia threw a fit, this year it was Gloria and I caught it on camera!

Natural Gardner

We had a fun playdate with some friends at the awesome Austin gardening place. The girls petted donkeys, rode in a wagon, saw chickens and goats, played in a teepee, walked through a butterfly garden and saw tons of beautiful plants (we didn't buy anything this time but Caleb bought his orange tree here last year).

I have a picture just like this with Lydia while pregnant with Gloria!