Self portrait.

The challenge for June 1st was a self portrait. My least favorite. I chose not to do the typical "take a picture of yourself in the mirror" picture. (Note: Objects in shadow appear larger than in real life.)

Not sure if that's true, but I just wanted to say it.

June Photo Challenge.

As if I don't have enough to do, I've decided to (try to) participate in a photo challenge I heard about on Alissa Fast's blog. I don't think I'll join the Flickr group, but I figure it will help me take photos for Project Life and heck...it just might be fun! The challenge was originally posted on A Feathered Nest.

Picking Blueberries.

This past weekend we headed over to Mark's Blueberries in Clermont. It was about an hour long ride and Will kept asking, "Are we there yet?" (I don't know if I'm looking forward to our camping trip next month. We'll be driving for six hours at a time. Note to self: Buy earplugs!) We finally arrived and headed over to Field 2 where we met Mark, at least I assume he was Mark. He told us which areas had the most blueberries and which ones were sweeter than others. With that we gave each kid a bucket and started picking.

The kids did quite a bit of tasting. They had to make sure they were picking the ripest ones, right?

On our way in we saw a sign that said "Enter at Your Own Risk." We all laughed and made a joke that maybe coming here wasn't a good idea. Then, while we were in the fields, Jimmy found a shotgun shell. I guess the sign was right. Wonder whether Mark was aiming for an animal or a person.

We ended up picking about 8 and a half pounds of blueberries. Looks like we'll be eating blueberries for a while now. Reminds me of the scene in Forrest Gump when Bubba is describing different ways to prepare shrimp. In our case it would be more like: blueberry waffles, blueberry muffins, blueberry jam, blueberry ice-cream, blueberry yogurt, blueberry pie...

We had packed hot dogs to grill, but everyone was too hungry to try to find a park so we ended up eating at Red Lobster. After lunch we decided to try picking some oranges at The Showcase of Citrus . Nothing was in season but grapefruits and a few varieties of tangerines. We skipped the picking and let the kids play at the playground there. Helen and Alex were also able to wrestle a gator.

Before heading for home we grabbed some drinks and souvenirs while the boys were able to catch this huge shark. (Ignore the fact that we're on the lake.) 

Lake Wales.

Last weekend we joined Yiayia and Papouli for a little fun in Lake Wales. They arrived at our house Saturday morning to pick up Helen and Will. I had to wait for Mike to get off work, Alex had a friend over and Jimmy decided that he would wait and ride with us. Helen and Will spent the afternoon swimming and playing at the playground. The rest of us arrived around 7:30 PM and had a delicious meal waiting for us. (My mom did not suddenly become a master chef...the clubhouse now delivers food.)

On Sunday we took shifts going to breakfast. Some of us wake up later than others. We spent the morning relaxing, talking and reading the paper. At lunch time we decided to head over to Bok Towers to walk around and have lunch. So beautiful and peaceful there.

We saw this cool hanging air plant "wall." Mike wants to try this at the entrance of our house.

After lunch Yiayia and Papouli treated the kids to ice-cream. Nothing tastes better on a hot day.

And of course, time for cuddles with Yiayia.

We made our way back slowly, stopping at The Window on the Pond which is always a favorite. It's amazing with all of the TV, computer and video games today the kids will sit there quietly, completely mesmerized, staring at a pond watching ducks, birds and turtles. Nature truly has a calming affect.

Before heading back home we jumped in the pool. The boys (Mike included) practiced their cannonball techniques. Such a perfect weekend getaway.

Happiness is...

I saw this plaque in a catalog the other day...

H aving
A bsolute
P erfect
P leasure
I n
N ormal
E eryday
S imple
S tuff

If my life had a motto, this would be it. I have always cherished those fleeting moments of everyday simple stuff. I've never thought that tons of money or tons of stuff equaled happiness. I believed it was something bigger, but much more simple. Like a husband who makes Sunday breakfast. Like a son who pushes the grocery cart and entertains his little brother. Like the son who helps his sister with her spelling. Like the daughter who gives "just because I love you" hugs. Like the baby who reminds me everyday that he is not  the baby, but still climbs into my bed every night. So simple, so perfectly perfect.

Feeding the goats.

One of the benefits of living in a more rural area is the variety of animals living nearby. Aside from the ducks and deer we see on a daily basis (with the occasional boar sighting) some of our neighbors have their own collection of livestock. We like to load up our buckets with cracked corn and walk down the road to feed the goats. Usually when they see our wagons pull up, they come running because they know we bring food.

Helen likes to feed them by hand and she isn't afraid to reach in and pet them.

Will prefers to just hold the bucket and let them come to him.

Alex and Jimmy (like me) are more content to be spectators. Although this last trip Alex was actually letting the goats eat out of his hand and even pet a few. Here he is doing a Billy Goat Gruff imitation.

Nickelodeon.

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take the kids to the Nickelodeon Suites. Originally, we were heading to Fort Lauderdale for Aunt Juanita's 85th birthday party. Unfortunately, two days before the party she fell and fractured her pelvis. (She's better now. She didn't need surgery, but is still doing rehab.) Mike had always wanted to try the Nick Hotel and we were already packed, so we did it.

The kids couldn't wait to try out the splash park. It was pretty cold out, but that didn't stop them. Helen was the first one to go down the slide, then the boys followed her lead.

The main pool was heated so they would warm up in there and then run across to the park and then jump back in the pool. Will just spent the entire time in the pool. Smart boy.

The room was cute with a separate bedroom for the kids, but they weren't as big as they looked online!

In the morning we went to the Character Breakfast and got to meet Dora and Boots, The Fairly Oddparents and of course, SpongeBob SquarePants.

Jimmy wasn't too impressed with the whole thing. Here he's trying to ignore Dora, but she wouldn't leave him alone. I guess twelve-year-old boys aren't into cartoon characters. 

Before we left we got to meet every one's favorite, SpongeBob. Such a great weekend!