Bonefish Grill

So, I have been to Bonefish Grill two times since we've been here and both times it has practically been deserted. I cannot believe how the economy has effected Miami so much. It is sad really. Anyway, it was great tonight because I have never dared take my kids with me to this restaurant. IT is just too nice a place to ruin it with kid craziness. We met my step-father's dad (Poppa Tom) and sister (Aunt Sharon aka Sheffie) there for dinner with the kids and it was empty...a perfect kid restaurant. They also sat us at a half booth so Carys and Luke were locked in. It worked well. It was really nice to visit with our extended family. We also spent a few hours swimming at Aunt Cindy's house. They have always treated me and my sister like we were instant family despite the fact that my mom married into the family after we were in college. Kevin has treated us like his own daughters. The same has been for their love of my children and my kids love them, too! Anyway, it was a lovely dinner and I got a couple of great shots with them! Thanks to them for all of their love and support and to Poppa for the yummy dinner tonight!

One more day!

A friend of Rob's sent this to him as a tribute to him and the bar exam...pretty funny! Check it out. One more day!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuffHRacZMQ

I'm too stressed to be gourmet!

I have just figured it out. I have always loved to cook and try new recipes. I just don't have the time, energy, money, or patience with the kids to do much that will require too much attention these days. I think it is the kid factor and more importantly the stress factor! Now, here in Miami, I have cooked many dinners, but a couple that were brand new...they turned out awesome. I think it is the fact that my mom entertained the kids while I worked. It took at least 1 1/2 hours, so that would be hard with kids in your face. I have been really relaxed and so even when my kids are being demanding it is easier to handle. Therefore, cooking was a blast and successful! Here are my new recipes:

Eggplant Parmesan: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/eggplant-parmesan-recipe/index.html

Macaroni and Cheese: http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=6de461876e70f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=header_4&autonomy_kw=macaroni+and+cheese

Both of these are NOT low fat. They are high in taste and flavor. I made half of the parmesan with the quick marinara recipe the provide, but added some basic chunky ragu with onion and garlic because I had way too many eggplant slices for 1 dish. I made two. In the Mac and Cheese, I was striving for simple like my grandmother's (missing her recipe) and searched all over the web for what I wanted. I found this one and then couldn't bring myself to buy the expensive Gruyere cheese that was 11 bucks here. I used white cheddar, swiss block, and 1 bag of yellow cheddar/monterey jack cheese shredded blend for the topping. I didn't have nutmeg or cayenne pepper. It was still delicious and honestly, I can't imagine those flavors in mac and cheese so I don't think I will use them next time either. This was my first time ever making homemade mac and my kids devoured it! YUMMY! Fatting, but yummy!

Sprinkler Fun in Miami

One of our first adventures at Mima's house was going to a local garden that has sprinklers for kids. Luke loved it and posed for pictures galore. Carys enjoyed it too and especially loved it when mommy ran throught the water with her. After the water fun we went to the petting zoo area. It was a sorry petting zoo, but they got to pet a pretty nasty black pig. They liked it and that is all that matters. Is it just me or do petting zoos make you want to puke? I have to cleanse their hands three times just to make sure they don't carry any yuckiness on them. As I was in the pen with the kids I realized I wouldn't touch that scaly pig with a ten foot pole; why, then would I let my kids? I don't know...we do a lot of things so our kids smile, I suppose.

fun times with mima, papa kevin, and family

These are some pictures from some other adventures we had.
Papa Kevin took us to Chuck E. Cheese. It was so much fun! Luke and Papa loved playing the fighter pilot game and then Carys stole Papa for some fun on the Race Horse game. She loved the horse. Mom had fun too sneaking in a few tokens to play skee ball!
Mima took us fishing with Dad Dad. It was loads of fun. We caught a couple of tiny fish, but Luke loved it. Please notice my grandfather is covered from head to toe and is every day of his life...only a floridian who is used to baking in the sun can handle that sort of heat. He says it is protection which it was when we were being eaten alive by bugs!
We arrived in Miami on the fourth of July. We immediately picked up a bucket of fried chicken and hung out until it was time to head to see the fireworks. The kids enjoyed the little snappers. They were just mesmerized by the fireworks...I was relieved they liked them rather than scream through them like I did as a kid. Carys clapped and squealed and danced to the music that accompanied them. It was a great show and a wonderful time with family.
The other thing I did for the first time was eat sushi. My life-long friend, Angela, took me to a great and popular sushi spot. I ate sushimi and it was surprisingly tasty. I did have a little indigestion later that night, but I enjoyed it and would eat it again. Thanks, Angela, Rob will have someone to eat sushi with now.

Just some good family shots

I have finally finished my Miami photos! These are just random shots. They are mostly posed pics of the kids. My favorites are the ones with my grandmother. My grandparents are pretty incredible with my children. They came over to "babysit" whenever we (mom and I) wanted to go somewhere to play or eat. They had us over to swim many days. Plus, they endure so much abuse from my children as Carys thinks my grandfather's feet at dancing shoes and my grandmother's face is a blank slate for pretend makeup. The kids demand constant attention from all of the family here and I have yet to see them disappointed. My family really teaches me about patience. This trip was a great break from my life at home. Rob and I miss each other terribly, but he needed the study time and I needed to get out of the line of fire.

My kids seemed to have relaxed a lot during this trip also. Luke is reading like crazy with my mom and now seems to enjoy reading this book on his own. He is crazy about riddles and jokes and games. He could learn a new card game or board game every day and then play until we all cringe at the name of it. He took swim lessons and did great! (now he is slipping back into his old ways, sadly.)

Carys is talking up a storm and is a dancing machine. She is really pottying regularly too. I guess that means I have to bite the bullet and put her in undies if I really want her to feel success. (sigh, moan) Her latest favorite thing to do is copy every single thing Luke does. If he jumps off the couch. She jumps off the couach. If he yells, "I am batman!!!" She yells her 2 year old version of the same! It is adorable and although Luke has been annoyed at times he seems to love her more.

I have to publicly thank my family for taking me in. I love them. My kids love them. Rob loves them. There support has been unwavering and for that we can never repay them. Both of our families have been wonderful throughout this law school episode of our lives. Now, one last plug...PLEASE say a prayer on Tuesday and Wednesday for Rob since he will be sitting taking the bar exam during that time. Hey, every little bit helps.

Animal activity!

Like most kids, my kids love animals. We went to a place called Jungle Island (formerly known as the parrot jungle) and we had fun watching animal shows and looking at monkeys. Then we visited my Uncle David who has a lot full of exotic cats like Lions, tigers, cougars, white tigers, tabby tigers, lemurs, jaguars, etc. You can visit him at www.tigerhomes.org. It was raining pretty hard so we had a difficult time getting picutres of the animals. It is pretty impressive to me eventhough I have been there many times. Luke thought is was "awesome."

Miami at the Beach

We slipped away for two days to Hollywood Beach. It was a great idea. We walked the boardwalk, lounged in the room when it rained, ate seafood, and soaked up the sun on the beach and at the pool. Then when the kids collapsed with exhaustion, my mom and I watched so you think you can dance and played yahtzee...our new favorite passtime at night. I know I take a lot of pictures, but I can't help it with these digital cameras! Just wait until we get back from Alaska!!! I may have to send you to a link then.

What is it about being in the buff?

Do your kids enjoy it too? My kids love running around without clothes on. As soon as Luke could use the toilet without m help he began conveniently forgetting to put his underwear back. He would go all day free as a jay bird until I noticed. He still does it to this day except now he hides the underwear behind the toilet, under the sink, and in the tub so I don't notice unless I actually help him change his clothes. (sneaky sneak) Carys loves being free too! If I allow even a second in between changing, she makes a mad dash and hides or dances in the buff! It is really funny. Truly, it is one of the cutest things to see...a running toddler with a naked little butt! Yesterday was no different except when I finally caught her she was staring out the sliding glass door at the dog...uh, hello? you are naked?!!! Now that the neighbors on the lake got a eye full, she ran down the hall. I had time to grab my camera off the table and snap a few pics while I was laughing at her cuteness! I wish I could run around naked...maybe I would feel free and relaxed. Somehow, I doubt it would bring the same comfort it brings to a kid. :) oh, to be young and flawless and carefree!

Memories tag

I thought this was a fun tag...you are tagged if you read this, plus it will let me know who is reading my blog!

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments!

Favorite photos of the Miami trip...

I was going through the pictures and trying to make a few slide shows to share from the highlights of our trip and just wanted to share a few pictures that I love. I will post more specifics later.

Brother and Sister and hopefully friends too! (sprinkler park)

Carys strikes a pose for Aunt Cindy after swimming. I just think she looks pretty here.

Luke feeds the parrot and yes he got bit!!! It was priceless. You can see his mouth saying, "OW!" It broke skin too...dirty sucker! Luckily he was still in a good mood for the rest of the jungle island adventure and animals.

This is Goliath, my uncle's giant mastiff! Look at how huge he is next to Luke. It took Luke a while to realize he was quite the gentle giant despite his scary appearance. (stay tuned for pics of my uncle's wild animals...tigers, cougars, leopards, lions, and monkeys)

Look at that butt!!!! Carys bathes herself in sand. She actually scoops it up and exfoliates every ounce of skin with it...so funny! (this was at Hollywood Beach where we spent the night and two days hanging out.)

Luke was my little bathing beauty at the sprinkler park. He seriously posed at every single sprinkler fountain. Those of you who know Luke know that this is rare behavior. This one made me laugh.

We were out to dinner and Carys saw two kids with these balloons. She wouldn't stop saying, "ma-ie (mommy) loon (balloon)!" We had to search the mall for the store that gave them out and she was in heaven when she finally got her yellow (ya-oh) balloon!

My mom and I took Luke to the Backyardigans Live! It was a lot of fun. Here is a picture of the two of us that I actually like.

Finding "Mi" (spanish pronunciation) in "Miami"

It is funny that after all these years not residing in Miami I have come home to realize this is really where my personality was shaped. Therefore, I found a little piece of me in Miami. I know my family, obviously, is the largest contributor to my personality, but for the first time in a long while, Miami felt oddly similar to my life. I think I may have subconsciously created a little bit of Miami in my everyday life. For instance, I can't sit still...neither can Miami. I seem to create busyness and clutter...the city i grew up in is overgrown and heavily populated and really there is no space anywhere. My loudness...Miami Hispanics are exuberant and love life. My dramatic flare...yet again the Hispanic in me. What is really funny is that my husband used to call me his little Cuban wife...now I get it. He saw what I never did...our basic differences. I find comfort in the city pace (to a degree, I mean who really loves traffic?), city lights, city lack of conformity to all the expectations of life. I used to call this city chaos and craziness. But now I call myself that...perhaps I have morphed to become like where I grew up or maybe it is just the phase of life. I now find new meaning in the phrase, "I'm a Miami girl."

Without offending my Miami readers, I still can't see myself living here or raising a family here. Though there are many reasons to love it here (to visit), there are still many reasons to flee this city. Plus, my life is in DC, a new city/suburb area, that does fit my personality much better than the west ever did. Nothing against Utah. Just stating the fact that east coast and west coast is very different...don't you agree? Rob is every bit a west coast guy and his personality is shaped accordingly. What about you? Do you see how you were shaped by your hometown?

By the way...our trip was extended for another week. Rob is almost through with the h#@**ish bar. I will soon post pictures and stories about some of our Miami vacation adventures.

Miami here we come!

Well, we are finally leaving to let Rob get some real studying done. We fly down to Miami tomorrow morning and will be there about 18 days. I am hoping for a relaxing and fun trip with my kids and their grandparents. We plan to spend many days at the pool and the rest of the days just hanging out catching up on one on one time with each kid. Anyway, I am going to try and keep up with the blog as I am sure there will be many adventures to keep track of.

Competitive or Scared?

We just finished up a two week round of swimming lessons for Luke. Let me tell you that is was NOT fun. Luke began the lessons being totally brave...he went underwater the first class and did everything his teacher told him. I thought we finally crossed over to learning how to swim rather than just getting used to the water. Anyway, we got a little derailed with him getting sick, but then he just plain old wouldn't participate. Needless to say, I was really, extremely frustrated. I did keep taking him and plopping him in the water and insisting that he stay with his class even if he didn't do all of the activities. Well, Thursday he was first in line in the class and he did every single stroke and activity! He said, "Mom, I did good because I was first today!" Every other day he was last in line. After each class he would talk about all the kids being able to, "do it by themselves," especially his best buddy Nick. (just a side note...Luke and Nick compete about nearly everything...even whose brain is bigger and therefore is smarter.) He would say, "I can't do it!" Well, being first set the competition differently. I think in his mind now they had to follow him. What is it about boys? I didn't completely understand or believe this was the sole reason for the change in attitude, but I was going with it. I told him to make sure he was first in line so he can do it by himself. Friday started much like the old lessons...no action and he wasn't first in line... UH-Oh! (record screech to a halt) I refused to end these lessons on this note! I walked over to the pool and nonchalantly whispered to Luke, "Hey, why aren't you first in line...maybe you should move over on the other side of Claire for the rest of the lesson so you can do your best." (can you believe that mom move? I am a little embarrassed about it.) Well? IT WORKED! He had a great class and we are finally through the lessons! WHEW! Now lets see how he does in private lessons in Miami... I wonder when this competitive stage will pass? My husband says it really doesn't, but the boys learn to keep their desires to win more private and subtle. All I know is that I am not programmed that way. I am probably one of the least competitive women...can't we all just get along I say? This is just another reason I had a boy first...I needed to learn about this world of boys. I learned a lot about my son during this experience and I am sure there will be many more of these AH-HA moments.

My little Carys has been dancing like a crazy woman lately. It is really quite entertaining. When she was younger she used to "stomp, stomp, shake your bootie!" Now, she does a bunch of shakes and waves and stomps. I don't know if it is the girl factor, but Carys loves dancing and music soooo much more than Luke did. Plus, she has had much less exposure. Oh, we can't find our little video camera and this is off of Rob's phone and my sister's phone...so, you can't see her too great...but you can't miss the moves! :) She was so much fun tonight when we were watching kids during our babysitting swap. She ran around with jewelry on and pretended to be one of the big girls here. They were great at including her. You could just see how much she has grown socially in the past 6 months even. It is really getting fun having a little girl!

And the insensitive, mean mom award goes to...

JULIE!!!!

Some of you know I have enrolled Luke in a two week swim course. It is a 30 min. lesson each day. Well, the first day, Luke did awesome! He went under the water willingly. He did tummy floats willingly. The next day wasn't so great. He got in and began shivering in the cold. I wasn't too phased at first because he did that yesterday, but the excitement and movement in swimming kept the shivers at bay until he actually got out and froze his butt off. This time he held his arms in and shivered and refused to participate in anything that required his head going under the water. I was getting pretty irritated at my 4 year old who was acting like he was 2. I kept prompting him to get wet, rather than standing waist deep in the pool, and he would warm up. He did do one stroke that required being under water, but he kept his face out. Anyway, he kept begging me to get out and I refused. After what seemed to be the longest 30 minutes ever, he was finished and I took him to the car. We discussed the importance of swimming lessons. I am sure every parent at the pool thought me ridiculous when I threatened, "we aren't going to the pool anymore this summer unless you start trying to learn to swim. You can't hold on to mommy all the time." I even took the cheap shot, "Carys is going to swim better than you do if you don't try." I knew he felt bad, but I was beyond annoyed. I paid money for these lessons. Our summer would be much better if I didn't have 2 kids hanging on my arms in floaties at the pool. Seriously! I wasn't kidding about Carys learning sooner...she is taking to the water much quicker than her brother. (Maybe I am less cautious too with her.)

The reason for the award, you ask?

We got home and he kept up his typical shenanigans and then fell asleep for 30 minutes (unheard of these days). He woke up burning hot with a 102.8 fever. DUH, MOM! HE PROBABLY HAD A LOW-GRADE FEVER AND THAT IS WHY HE WAS THE ONLY KID SHIVERING LIKE CRAZY IN THE POOL! Way to go, Julie, making your 4 year old feel wimpy because he didn't feel like swimming when we was sick! In my defense, I didn't know he had a fever AND it is pretty normal fraidy-cat behavior for Luke sometimes. As if I didn't have enough guilt this summer over not having enough energy to play all day and do all the fun things I want to do with the kids, now I had to go an scar him for life. He'll probably never do these swim lessons again for fear of failing! Hopefully, I can manage some damage control. Wish me luck ;0

He is sick. His fever spiked again today to 103.9! The Motrin does wonders though. He seems to be fine other than the fever too! No other symptoms I can see or that he has reported. Odd.

Just some pictures

I just took a few pics on my cell phone and decided to document them so I don't lose them some day. I can never believe how much my kids have grown until I see them in a picture...I suppose it is the different perspective. There is one of Luke pre hair cut and one post hair cut. I also snapped one at the movies with my face in a cut out of a bride marrying McDreamy...hey there's no harm in a little girl fun!

"There's a new Sheriff in town!

AND IT'S MOM!"

This is what I said to my son as I escorted him to his room for the second time for a time out. We are reestablishing house rules and family respectful behaviors. Today has been a rough day for Luke. He just argues and yells and basically thinks he rules this roost. So, I am calmly doing the 1-2-3 Magic routine...which I think works best for Luke since it eliminates the argument, explanation, or any emotion from me. He thrives on our banter and really thinks he should get chance after chance to correct behavior. Well, he is 4. I expected as much when he was 3 and we had to start this routine then. Every summer really...maybe it is the weather or lack of school structure. So, he gets an extra minute if he is screaming or kicking the door while in time out. When he went back to his room he began screaming, "You are NOT the sheriff anymore. You are NOT the sheriff anymore!" Then he peeked his head out to inform me of my demotion...HA! HA! EXTRA MINUTE! I said, "that's 1 more minute. That's two. " He said, "That's 3. that's 4 and slammed his door!" UH, excuse me?!!!!!!! HOW OLD ARE YOU? 16? Sadly, I had major deja vu about that one. :) Sorry mom. Perhaps it isn't that he is acting so old, but that the 16 year olds that throw fits over groundings or loss of privileges are acting 4.

Anyway, we have a whole new plan we are implementing in pieces. Today is going to be a long day, but hey, I'm the law around here and it is high time he start abiding by it. ;)

Wish me luck!

(Luke just came out since he took his time out nicely and he came up to me to say, "Mom, I have soemthing to tell you. You're not the Sheriff anymore. I am the Sheriff." To which I replied, "go back to your room.") AHHH!

Deal Breaker?!

Just a preface...I love my husband.

So, I went to enrichment last night and received a picture text on my phone. Rob sent a picture of my son's newly shaved head!!!!!! I nearly screamed out loud, but was surrounded by a table full of women and realized they may not appreciate or agree with my reaction. We do have to maintain the appearance of sanity in the midst of company. Luckily, I forgot about it because of the wonderful activity I was participating in. I was jolted to reality at home when I saw yet another picture of my Luke sent to my email. UH-OH. The blood was boiling. The words were swirling in my head and they weren't pretty. (what was that thing about patience we just learned about in our relationship with our spouse workshop at Relief Society?)

I know Luke's hair will grow out, but I can't say I am loving the new do. Here are my reasons:
1. He looks way too old now.
2. When it grows out it is going to look dumb until it reaches a normal length.
3. Rob used a 2 and 1 so you can see his scalp...now I have to put sunscreen on his head.
4. It just doesn't go with his style and it isn't him (or the him I have created:) It is just a shock to our system, but we will survive.

I do love this hair style or lack of on Rob. I do really like it on little boys too, but I like al ittle more on top so it can lay flat instead of velcro top. Luke does look cute and he still has his cute face so it shouldn't be a crisis. My question to you mom's out there is does hair grow straight up on all boys or is his just too short and it will be flat on top a little longer?

What was Rob thinking? He was thinking impulsively. He was thinking, "Hey, now Luke can look like me." Well, you were right, Rob, he does look like your little clone...the only up side to this new look. If he starts wearing his sunglasses on the back of his head and asking to drive a 4-wheeler I am going to be really ticked!

I think the thing that infuriated me was the fact that it was totally out of my control to do or fix. I had no say and now I am stuck with it...or he is. I guess I should mention that Luke likes his new hair. How am I ever going to raise teenagers?

honey, I am not angry anymore, sort of. (You all would be proud because there was no gnashing of teeth or yelling.) Rob did apologize for not keeping me in the loop and I know he meant no harm. Just another adventure to add to our little young family history. :)

Now that I have made a mountain out of a mole hill I will end this post! (boy, I am a little dramatic, aren't I?) ;)

So, I Wish I Could Dance!

Every time I watch the show, So You Think You Can Dance, I regret not pursuing dance as a young girl. I also get this intense urge to make Rob keep his promise to take dancing lessons/classes with me. (not until after law school) It is just amazing to watch people contort and move their bodies in such unnatural ways and make it look so fluid and natural. This season is going to be awesome! They just had their first competition with their 20 dancers, paired up for 10 random routines with varying styles of dance. I already don't see but 1 or 2 dancers that are going to deserve to be voted off. The rest of them are just so talented and competitive. Anyway, I really wish I could dance. Hell, I wish I could even touch my toes without wincing in pain. ;) I guess I will just spend my Wednesday and Thursday evenings living vicariously through these young talents. Hey, I can pretend that I will someday be able to cut a rug with my husband, who is unfortunately, not too rhythmical. (I love you Rob, but your signature move/bump won't make it through ballroom dance class!)

Here's a tip: Watch the show!!!! You won't regret it! It is seriously one of my most favorite shows to watch.