Good Weather...grasshoppers & spiders??

We have had the best weather here in the Gainesville area lately. It has been around 75-85 degrees for the high for the last couple of weeks. It is so nice to be outside and enjoying the beautiful days. The kids have been riding their bikes, scooters, and skateboards everyday. The boys have a new project too. Dominique and Dreyton have started catching grasshoppers. Yesterday, Dominique showed me a water bottle with a grasshopper inside of it. He said it had laid eggs inside the bottle. I told him to take the bottle outside immediately. He then proceeded to tell me that he had the bottle in his room for over a week!! He also told me that his dad said I would not approve of them being inside. This means, of course, that his dad knew they were in our boys' bedroom and didn't even bother to tell me! I quickly found Dominique a plastic container in the garage that he could keep the grasshoppers in, but I told him that he had to keep it outside. He was so excited that he took off on his bike to catch more.













Why do boys like bugs? I just dread bugs, but at least I can kill spiders now. As a child I would pay my sister to kill them for me, and let's just say that she made a lot of money back in the day. Since, I moved to Florida, I have learned I either kill the spider myself, or this incredibly disgusting bug will be in my house. And there are not too many of the 8-legged creatures that make it past my exterminating footwear!

Jasmine Turns 8

Wow! Jasmine turned 8 years old Friday. It seems like she is growing up so quickly. She will be getting baptized on April 12, which happens to be Easter Sunday and my birthday. What a great day! We were actually trying to figure out the best time to hold the baptism. Since, the Lott family will be coming for Spring Break, we decided to do it then.















Jasmine wanted a karoke machine for her birthday. Jasmine is definitely following in her dad's foot steps. The two of them love to dance and listen to music together.






















Jasmine wanted strawberry shortcake for her cake. She loves to cut up strawberries, put them in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of sugar. Ok, maybe not that much sugar, but it is a lot.



































We had a small party at a new bowling alley in town. Everyone had a good time. Jyllian even tried bowling. I didn't know they made bowling shoes that small.















The girls had a great time bowling. Luckily, we put the bumpers up because those girls have a ways to go before they are averaging a 250 bowling score.
From left to right: Jasmine, Cheyenne (a neighbor), Elesse (a neighbor), Sydney (a classmate), and Morgan (her best friend and next door neighbor).

A Precious Moment

It has been a little chilly here in Florida the last few weeks. I was in the kitchen doing the dishes, and I heard Jyllian playing with the dog in my bedroom. But it became very quiet. When I entered my bedroom, I just had to take a picture. Don't you all just love getting into your car on a cold winter day, when the sun has been shining into it? It is such a warm feeling. I'm thinking the dog and Jyllian must be experiencing this same feeling. These two really keep each other company throughout the day when everyone else is gone.