The Blues

When my dad decided to retire to Pensacola, I had never heard of it. I had no idea what it would mean to me and my (at that point) future family. I have since learned that Pensacola is one of the best kept secrets in Florida. It has pristine white sand beaches with water temperatures around 90 degrees. There is a market called Joe Patti's where we get fresh seafood and an atmosphere that can't be beat. The National Naval Aviation Museum is captivating even for those that don't live and breathe military history like many of the retired soldiers and seamen that inhabit this town. There are so many things that we look forward to when we visit Pensacola.

But nothing (besides getting to see my dad and stepmom) beats seeing the Blue Angels air show. If you have seen them - you know. If you haven't - you need to. Naval Air Station Pensacola just happens to be their home base. In the summer, they practice here twice a week. These shows are free to the public and there is nothing like seeing them on the home field. They take off and land less than 100 yards from you. Volunteers share detailed info about the maneuvers and pilots. After some of the practices, the pilots come out to sign autographs. On Wednesday we got to see a practice session and meet the pilots. Spencer and I went again today because when you can have a once in a lifetime experience twice in one week - why not?

So here are a few of the pictures from our trip on Wednesday. The photos aren't great - these moving targets make trying to get my kids to sit still look like a piece of cake. Hope you enjoy them and that one day you will get to experience the Blues too!

Our Day at the Beach

The Results Are In...Pasty White Skin is Recessive.

Unless you have seriously fair skin, you cannot fully understand the joy of having a child that actually tans. To know that at least some of your posterity will be spared the tedious chore of applying SPF 50 to every inch of exposed skin is surprisingly gratifying.

I know it is not healthy to use your children to fulfill your own unobtainable dreams, but frankly I don't care. Here's to Matthew for enabling me to tan vicariously through him. Thanks, little guy!

By the way, the farmer tan is a result of Matthew refusing to get into the pool without his swim shirt. Although, there is some evidence that it might be genetic as Bruce often sports one as well.

A New Tradition

I have decided to start asking my kids (and perhaps my husband and myself) questions each year on their birthdays. Kind of a record of who they were and what they loved at that moment in their lives. Hopefully it is a tradition that will stick. Anyone with ideas for questions, please let me know. This was what I came up with off the top of my head. I'm sure there are some better ones out there.

Matthew - July 2008

How old are you? 4

Who is your best friend? Andi Moss

What is your favorite thing to do? Play Star Wars

What is your favorite color? Green

What is your favorite food? Macaroni and Cheese

What is your favorite song? Star Wars by Moosebutters

What is your favorite toy? Star Wars Legos

What is your favorite show to watch? Little Einsteins

What is your favorite book? Cat in the Hat

What do you like to do with your family? Play

What do you want to be when you grow up? Firefighter. I want to be lots of things when I grow up. What else? I don’t know.

What makes you happy? Mom

What makes you sad? Taking toys. (Only when someone takes a toy from him – doesn’t seem to produce the same effect when he is doing the taking.)

What do you love to learn about? Being happy.

Where do you like to go? To the birthday store. (Zurchers).

What was the best part of your birthday? Throwing the meteors and finding them.

What was your favorite birthday present? Darth Vader fishing pole. (From Beth Neddo.)

What is the favorite thing you bought with your birthday money? C3-P0

Star Wars Party: Take One

This year we had Matthew's first big birthday party (yeah - it was over two weeks ago, but I've been a little busy lately). Although I knew he wanted a Star Wars party, it was like pulling teeth to get him to tell me that. He's not the most forthcoming child out there. So once he made the pronouncement that a Star Wars party would be acceptable, I got to work. And I must say, it turned out better than expected. We invited all the kids from his neighborhood playgroup and all the cousins within about a 50 mile radius. With a couple of extra siblings that stuck around, we ended up with 17 kids. Normally, that is about 15 more than I can effectively deal with (I have 3 of my own so that presents some problems on a daily basis). But armed with my party plan - that's right - an actual physical document - it went off without a hitch. This was the plan(most ideas came from www.birthdaypartyideas.com):

Project: Make your own lightsabers.
Used pool noodles (cut to size) and shiny silver duct tape to make lightsabers for each child. We wrote their names on them and let the older kids help the little ones draw controls on the handles.

Game: Keep up the Meteor
Kids used their lightsabers to keep balloons from hitting the ground.

Game: Star Wars Musical Chairs
I printed out two sets of pictures of Star Wars characters and ships. I taped one set on the back of small chairs (we always raid the Primary room for children's parties at our house) and kept one set in a zip lock bag. We set the chairs up in a large circle. The kids walked around inside the circle while music played. When the music stopped they all sat down. I drew a picture out of my bag and the child on the matching chair got to pick a prize. We did this several times. After we were done, all the kids that didn't get a prize got to pick one. As I simply copied this idea from the web, I can say it was genius!!!! Have you ever tried to play actual musical chairs with small children? It is complete chaos. This version of the game worked out perfectly. (By the way, I laminated the cards after the party to make a memory game that my boys love to play every night before bed.)

Game: Destroy the Death Star
Spencer drew a large, chalk Death Star on our basketball court. The kids threw water balloons at it to "destroy" it.

Then we did the obligatory cake and presents . (Thanks to Grandma Sherwin for providing the amazing Star Wars cake.)

One Last Game: Find the Meteors
Matthew and I wrapped up Starburst candies in aluminum foil. For the game, I had all the kids stand out in the yard and I threw the "meteors" up in the air and they gathered them.

It was a great party and all the kids, even the older ones, seemed to have a lot of fun. Keeping with our early 80's pop culture theme - "I love it when a plan comes together."

Now we are gearing up for Star Wars Party: Take Two. This one, being Spencer's party, will not be so simple. He has been planning it for months. He his writing, directing and producing his own personal Star Wars movie starring him as Han Solo. He almost has the casting done and has already picked out the music that will play as the credits roll. The script still needs work, but the force is with him and I am sure he will come through with a grand production.