Gandeemom

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Bari!!

We had a great visit with Bari and her boyfriend, Tommy. Grandma and Grandpa came up for dinner to spend some time, too! Yummy spaghetti--thanks to Dan!!

Grandma and Bari-Two beauty queens!

Bari ''n' Me!

Mom and Dad-Perfect!

Here's Tommy and Bari-all smiles!

Dan and Bari-she's caught up with him at 6'1"!!!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Hi All! Just came back from a great trip to Key Biscayne, the Island Paradise just over the bridge from Miami. I am the luckiest person in the world because I was able to call this place home at one time. We had a great visit with old friends and some new friends. We also spent some quality time with our daughter, Karissa and her new fiance, Jorge. We were able to meet Jorge's parents over dinner and enjoy awesome worship at Karissa's church, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. All is well in South Florida!

!!!I want to send a big THANK YOU to KATY!!! Thank you for allowing us to turn your house upside-down for 5 days! You are the greatest hostess in all the world! The great cafe con leche daily and even greater lasagna were so appreciated! Thanks for revealing your secrets with that awesome recipe!!

We had a great time over the 4th of July holiday. The parade and the fireworks were superb as usual and it is what draws more people to the Key than any other event. Well worth the drive just for that alone. But we had a great time and our days were packed with so many other things: Catching up with old friends, swimming in the pools OR the ocean, snorkeling and finding stingray and barracuda, climbing the Cape Florida Lighthouse, catching LOTS of sun, digging in to Sir Pizza, playing games on the beach, enjoying some quiet time around the tv watching Wimbledon, going to the fantastic playground down the road and sweating up a storm with a few great runs. I especially get a kick out of watching the iguanas and other wildlife that roam free and I might add that they secretly enjoy watching us, too!

I got a few shots of the trip, not as many as I would have liked. I'll blame it on the heat. I don't think I had the energy to hold the camera during the parade; it had to be 110 degrees as well as 110% humidity! But Daniel did manage to take pictures of all the CARS in the parade! :)

Katy, Karissa and Jorge, Catherine and Natalia, Terri, Danny and Timmy, Megan and Kevin, Mr. and Mrs. Dupeyroux, Dr. and Mrs. Malinin--it was so wonderful to visit with you all!! Mr. Bill, we'll catch you next time!!

Ethan and Jaret beginning a sand creation.

This little guy(not so little) was hanging out by the picnic benches by the lighthouse.

Ethan, Daniel and Jaret just next to the lighthouse wondering how they can bust into this coconut.

This is the beautiful Cape Florida Lighthouse!

A view of Miami from the top of the bridge!

Karissa and Megan have become close friends!

Timmy, Danny, Ethan, Jaret and Daniel

What's not to love about this guy?! He wasn't concerned at all about all of us around the pool.

Terri, Mary, Catherine and Katy!!

Mom and Ethan...

The adorable newly engaged couple, Karissa and Jorge!

Let's be realistic. They still get hungry and cranky and mean.

Friday, June 1, 2007

4H Events

Daniel and David did so well at County Events that they went on to District Events. The boys love cars so they teamed up and did a great presentation. Blue Award Ribbons!

Jaret and Jonathan also went on to District Events. Their presentation was about Chess. They received a Blue Ribbon Award! Kids don't go on to State until they are 14 years old. Give it time!

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Gandee Art

This is one of my favorite paintings of Karissa's.

It was included in a publication at CFCC last year!

Daniel "blue" them away at the fair with this blue ribbon winner.

"Leaves on Glass" was Jaret's masterpiece that he entered

into the fair and received a blue ribbon!

Ehtan created this beauty with ink, and colored pencils.

He entered "Fish" into the fair and received a red ribbon!

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Latest Books

Love Nicholas Sparks! This one is from 2003; I guess I'm a little behind! All of his stuff is great and this one I'm really enjoying. I love this story, even the dog plays a big role in this one. But I'm just halfway through!

This was an amazing story. It's a memoir written by Jeanette Walls. The circumstances that surrounded her as a child are the types of things that one would think can never be overcome. Her parents and siblings endure such hardships, but what makes it so perplexing is that it's usually by her parents' own choice. After a while, the children began to see a pattern of destruction and each tried to control their world in different ways. Her writing is addiciting and I couldn't wait to see how it all turned out.

This was an easy and entertaining read. Stephanie Plum is a gutsy gal who's desperatley broke and takes on a job as a bounty hunter. She gets in way over her head pretty quickly but manages to bring in some bad guys and make some money. Things do get pretty ugly, even life threatening, but since there are so many more books to go in the series, she survives, of course. This little tale was engrossing enough to make me look forward to the next one.!

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?

In Cat & Mouse, things get too close to home. Two killers, one operating in America — one in Europe — believe Alex Cross is the only worthy opponent in the deadly game each has planned. And Alex must contend with something he hasn't known since the loss of his wife: he's falling deeply in love, and this romance will make him, and her, all the more vulnerable....

Harlan Coben's latest: The Woods. I was on a waiting list 35 people long at the library, so I just bought it (for Mother's Day!) Great stuff.

MOSI Science

We had lots of fun at MOSI's Homeschool programs. Ethan and Jaret invented stuff, burned stuff, cooked stuff and went on a "mission" while Daniel created 3D computer animation in his class!