This is how...

the "family reunion" would have looked for 3 days straight if wives did not exist.

Missed lessons...

This one is for mom's and dad's mainly but those without kids yet - take notes! Or those that have grown kids - advice much needed.

Have you ever had one of those moments when a good lesson could be learned but it came up so fast and in the "wrong place" that you totally missed it?!?

Yesterday Tori and I, along with the rest of her brownie troop and a couple of moms went to see the Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Of course being my little reader she must read the playbill and is interested in each character. So the first character (Flat Stanley himself) has this ok career with random performances, its his first national tour, degrees from theatre colleges, etc. Then it says he would like to thank his husband and family for their support.

My daughter leans over and says "Mom hes a guy, why does he have a husband, guys have wives."

Let's talk about the lessons that could have come out of this - diversity, embracing differences, tolerance, what we believe, why sometimes others dont live the same lives we do, how God made each of us different and thats awesome, appreciating people for who they are, etc.

Know what I said - "hmmm that is different." Because in the moment all I could think was how do I explain sexuality without explaining sex? And what if what I say does not line up with the parents thinking of the kid on my other side whose parent is not here but is listening intently? How do you know what is enough information at a certain age and what is too much? Good lord the other day I explained publicly traded companies to my 7 yr old...then I wonder why she knows things beyond her years!

Why again, dont kids come with a handbook?

Picking time!

A spring break tradition! 20 qts of strawberries later we headed home - hot and tired but we had a nice day. And yep the last pic is actually berries we picked...

Maddex Reunion..,

Well kind of. Brother Trent and family did not quite make it down this time but heres a few pictures from the almost reunion!

The troops storm the beach...

Two crazy pirates!

Some new facial hair?

Captivated by a pirate tale.

Horsing around at home.

Tagged...

Here are the rules:
1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Tagged by Melissa.

1. I collect snowman, at last count I had 53 of them.
2. I share a birthday with my brother but he is 3 years younger.
3. I can touch my tongue to my nose.
4. I am addicted to coffee, crossword puzzles, tanning and neatness.
5. I read about 100 books a year on average.
6. My greatest worldly desire is to travel - both our country and others.
7. I have a big new venture in the works - to be revealed soon!

I tag Todd, Jenni, Angelle, Laurie, Rhiannon, Brooke,and Christi.

Yo ho Yo ho, Its a Pirates Life for Me

Well for us. Saturday we went on the Clearwater Beach "Pirate's Ransom" Ship and sailed the seas. The kids hunted for gold, heard stories, danced and got their face painted. Not to mention the water gun fight that left noone dry!

Boarding the ship with the captain the back:

Spring Break

Is here! We spent the weekend visiting with family, cruising on pirate ships, playing in the park, and splashing in the pool. Yesterday Todd took off and we had a family day at the beach when it wasn't so crowded which was awesome. Todays plans include lunch with my sister in law Taylor and then off strawberry picking. And dinner with Todds mom and his brothers family one last time before she heads back to Colorado. Hope everyone else is enjoying their break!

Pictures are coming soon!