What IS that????

I was on my way out the door this afternoon to pick the kids up from school, when I noticed something on the floor in our entryway. It was small, so I bent down and squinted to try to make out what it was and that (above pic) is what I saw! A baby fiddler crab. How the heck did that thing get inside our house? I threw a tupperware container over it and ran to pick the kids up. Clay, naturally, was thrilled when he saw it and wanted to know if we could keep it.
In this picture, you can see how small the little gal was. Yes, Clay informed me that it was a female (like I care!!). How does he know these things? Anyway, that was our excitement for the afternoon!! The little crab has now been released into the creek beside our house - and I hope she stays there!

Tim is still in St. Pete with his mom. It seems that she is doing much better and he has been busy trying to get her medications sorted out (there are a LOT) in an organized manner so that she will not forget anything! He will be home tomorrow, just in time to head back to work. And Simon is sad because he is going home the day after tomorrow!

So, that's really all the news from here....I have been busy today with grocery shopping, laundry (it never ends!), cooking dinner (spaghetti casserole), and rounding up crabs!

I haven't written in a few days because life suddenly got busy, busy, busy!! Saturday night Clay had a small party. Luckily, the rain stopped a couple of hours before the kids got here, so they were able to sit outside around the fire...and text. Yes. Text. What's wrong with kids these days....they had their cell phones in their hands, thumbs busily tapping away. I have told Clay that if he has another party I will be greeting everyone at the front door with a basket in hand for everyone to deposit their cell phones in! Teenagers don't have social skills anymore - all they do is email, IM, and text....they don't even make phone calls. Scary.

Sunday was another busy day....church (the kids were both acolyting) - Simon did quite well following along with the service, then that People to People meeting (which was really a waste of time...I knew it would be but still had to check...$5,900! I don't think so!), then to Target for Simon to do some souvenir shopping. He HAD to get an American football....he has really taken to that sport! We finally arrived home and had about an hour and 1/2 before I had to take the boys to youth group up at the church.

Monday was a nice lazy day - no school because of President's Day. We all slept late, which just felt so wonderfully indulgent! Clay worked on some homework in the morning, and then the boys went and fished in the afternoon. We found out that Tim's mother had been admitted to the hospital in St. Pete with heart problems and were worried about that all day - Tim was in Amsterdam. Yesterday was back to school, and Clay had Taekwondo in the evening.

Tim's mother was released from the hospital last night and is doing OK, but not great. Tim got home last night, and is heading down there in about an hour to see how she is doing and take care of her for a couple of days before heading back to work. We certainly appreciate any prayers! I will know more about how she is doing once he gets there.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The picture above was taken Thursday afternoon while I was sitting in the car in carpool line....for some reason I love this picture! I think because the kids didn't know Mom was in paparazzi mode....
Yesterday, Friday the 13th, was our 19th anniversary. It was a quiet day...Clay and Simon spent most of the day on the dock...and only had a catfish to show for their efforts! Since they couldn't catch our dinner, we went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse. Another eye-opening American experience for Simon....
This photo is him getting into the spirit with a big ol' burger!! So anyway, it wasn't a romantic dinner for Tim and I...but fun none the less! Afterwards we all watched Splash.

You may remember that Clay had asked if he could "take a little break" from Taekwondo....we told him NO, as it was quite obvious to us that his little break was motivated by a desire to be fishing all day and...um...a bit of laziness as well. The thing is, Taekwondo is HARD...and Clay is at the age where he just wants everything to be easy. Frankly, it/he is driving us crazy but we are resigned to the fact that this is our cross to bear for the next few years - at least until the big hormonal surge of the teenage years has passed and our sweet boy gets his brain back!! :) Tim just left to take Clay to Taekwondo and he seems to have accepted his fate. It helps that is is a rainy, yucky day and he obviously wouldn't have been out fishing all day anyway!

He and Simon are planning another "get together" tonight. Just the two boys, Paige and one of her friends from 6th grade, two other boys and two other girls from 8th grade....the original plan was to hang out by the firepit again - that seemed to be a big hit - but with the rain....I guess the kids will all be inside the house. I am not really sure how it will go...but wish me luck! My plan is just to have lots of food around...judging by Simon and Clay, it seems pretty much all teenagers want to do is sleep and eat...and in Clay's case, fish!

In other news, Clay has been invited - AGAIN - to participate in the People to People program. I think this is the third year he has been invited, and the second time this year. In the fall he received an invitation to do the student ambassador program, this most recent one is he sports ambassador program. I'm not really sure how they get Clay's name...but am assuming it is from test scores. This one goes to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand - it sounds awesome, but I'm sure it is prohibitively expensive. He was also nominated, and accepted, to be in Who's Who ...for middle school students. This is his second time. Tim and I are a bit amazed though, because while Clay is very, very smart...his grades really do not reflect his intelligence. Most of you know we struggle to get him to focus and do the quality of work which he is capable of. Meanwhile, our sweet little Paige - a straight A student, overacheiver, etc. - has never received an invitation. Weird, huh?

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

I took these photos this morning....we were in the morning "getting ready for school" rush, and Clay saw a HUGE snapping turtle in the creek beside our house. Of course, we all had to go running outside to see it (at Clay's insistance..."C'mon, hurry....") Then, of course, we were off schedule so had to rush, rush, rush! Paige has been doing the flag all this week at school for morning assembly so she needs to be there early.

Clay informed me this morning that he'd like to "take a break" from Taekwondo for a while. I told him I would think about it, but I think the answer will be a big, fat NO! Knowing my child as I do, I believe this is just a lame attempt to stay home with Simon and fish all day. Which is not going to happen. At least not until AFTER taekwondo!!

I haven't talked much about Paige lately, but she is fine. Working hard and being my little princess! I hate how she is growing up so fast though....

Clay wants to have another "get-together" this weekend, and this time invite some girls. So, we'll see how that goes.....

Here is a picture of the boys when I dropped them off at the school this morning. Don't they just look so excited to be there and start learning? Ha! Simon is really being a good sport about going to school during his holiday - it helps that he doesn't have to do any work or homework!! He is enjoying meeting all Clay's friends, and I think he is a hit with the girls...he is already getting "friend requests" from American girls on his facebook!

Clay has a cold (again) and I am just hoping that Simon doesn't get it too. So anyway, I have two teenage boys and one pre-teen girl in the house now...and I can't keep enough food in the house. They are insatiable! Yikes!

Tim is in Amsterdam and gets home Thursday night, then our anniversary is Friday. Nineteen years. Wow. (We got married on Friday the thirteenth, too!) I don't know what we will do....