THE BRADY BUNCH

We drove over to visit with the Brady bunch the weekend after Easter. It was a belated Easter / Happy Birthday Sally kinda deal.

Patty giving Joey a pony ride.

She LOVED it!

Bob & Sally

The Brady-Craven Bunch

Sally & Joey

Super cute, super cool.

LOOK OUT JAGGER

May I introduce The Rolling Stones new front woman.

That is, once she figures out how to play the Harmonica.

Oh yeah.

That's how Mick looks when he plays.

THE BOWLING WARS

The last YELP ELITE event we went to was the week after Easter and it was THE BOWLING WARS.

It was Lucky Strike on the beach and it was a competition.

We got scored on: costumes, overall team score, team spirit and use of YELP shwag.

An official winner was never declared, but we definitely beat everyone else bowling score wise, and we were one of the few teams that EVERYONE was actually in costume.

We were THE BOWLING STONES!

Chris, Mark, Pat, Michelle, Becca & Jose Luis.

(Mannish Boy, The Midnight Rambler, Under My Thumb, Honky Tonk Woman, Little T & A, Street Fighting Man)

While we did do some bowling...

We mostly just fooled around.

Oh My.

FUN IN THE SUN AT THE ZOO

Below are 3 short video clips of some of the fun we had at the zoo. Mark took the day off and Becca, Luke, Emma, KaKi, Dee, Mark, Joey & I went to the zoo for the day.

Mark and I were really practicing for Disney. We wanted to see how Joey would nap in the stroller. GREAT IDEA!

Below is Dee & I coming down the huge slide, the kids playing in the water spot, and the 3d Amazon wall.

A DISNEY PRINCE OR PRINCESS?

Just came back from Joey's 1st Disney trip a few days ago.

More detailed blogging will come, as will pics and videos.

But for now, NUMBER 1 lesson I learned as a parent at Disney:

If your daughter is not dressed in pink or as a princess, then she's a HE.

EASTER EGG HUNT

Hey, this jingles.

I like the sound of that!

Daddy is a real big help.

It took Joey a couple of minutes to grasp the concept, but then she really took off.

SHE wanted to hold & carry HER OWN basket, and she was pretty darn good at spotting those eggs!

Give Emma a kiss!

Someone found the golden egg!

Becca, Luke & Emma were here for Easter. Luke was busy finding the hard to spot eggs when we took this pic.

HAPPY EASTER!

Joey's Easter "Basket".

(Her father goes overboard.)

Playing with her Easter Basket from Kaki & Papa Rick.

She loves the waterbottle Kaki got her.

(It makes a great loud clang when she drops the metal water bottle in the tile floor.)

Whoda thunk! Eating Easter candy can be messy. Hense no more cute dress.

Thanks cousin Jessica for letting me play with the bunny ears.

Dinner at Marty & Ellen's was fabulous, as always.

DANCE LESSONS WITH UNCLE CHRIS

MASTER & COMMANDER

My Dad let Luke drive.

Talk about beginer's luck, they found a pod of dolphins!

I wasn't with them, I was babysitting Joey & Emma.

But the dolphins were very playfull, stayed around for 1/2 an hour and got very near the boat!

YOU SAY GOODBYE, I SAY HELLO...

The title is a Beatles song reference.

So I've been getting asked the same question over and over again lately:

What does Joey say now?

DaDa, MaMa, Nite-Nite, Uh Oh, Mmmm, No, Bye, Hi, Yeah (not yes, but yeah,) Socks, Eyes, Poo-Poo, Dog, Baby, Doll, Boo!, Bird, C.J. & Keys.

Obviously she doesn't say them perfectly, but people besides Mark and I can understand her when she says it while pointing to the object or making the appropriate gesture.

"What does the monkey say?" Ooh Ooh Ah Ah.

"What does the lion say?" Rrrooaarrr!

She seems to be learning a word or 2 a week. But as excited as everyone is about what she can say, I am far more impressed by what she understands. I can talk to her in normal sentences and if its about routine stuff that we do every day, she understands perfectly.

"JoJo, we're going to go Bye-Bye now so we have to put your shoes and socks on." And she will get up and come into her room to put her shoes on and then take off for the front door while I gather my stuff.

She always knows when you are asking her a question. She may not know exactly what your saying, but she'll answer yeah or no and shake her head (enthusiastically) anyways.

She follows directions well.

This receptive language makes my life much easier more then her few words.

MERCHANDIZING DADDY'S BEER FRIDGE

WILD BIRD CENTER

Hadn't been in a while, even though it is only 1/2 a mile up the road.

So while Becca & family were down, we took a visit.

As you can see from Luke, it does stink a little of bird poo.

Grandpa was Joey's favorite person that day.

Joey loved the whole thing, but she especially liked the Gulls. They are awfully loud.

She likes to to color/walk outside of the lines.

Ready, Aim... Fire!

GOV. CHRIST VETOED!

Governor Christ vetoed House Bill 7189 / Senate Bill 6.

(The one that would have tied teacher pay and evaluation to FCAT.)

WHOOPEE!

WASTIN' AWAY IN KEY LARGO...

Becca, Luke & Emma came to visit for a week. So the first thing we do, of course, is head straight to the Keys house.

Below are the ladies, chillin' on the rooftop hammock.

We are so much cooler then the boys.

Joey's daddy says no, but I don't think Dan would mind if the kids took a ride.

Don't worry Daddy, I'm just posing with Grandpa.

The posse.

YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS

Just wondering:

How many other moms sing along with Hammer Time every time they find themselves saying:

"No, you can't touch this!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo

RASPBERRY LAUGHS

M - I - C, SEE YA REAL SOON!

Joey now says Mickey.

Well, she says "Mik" when she or I point at any of the hundreds of Mickeys in our home.

I don't think I could be prouder then if she had just graduated Harvard.

Mark and I have stepped it up as of lately, trying to see if we could get her to say Mickey before we go to Disney in a week and a half.

The day she says Mickey Mouse, I may buy her a cake.

COLORING EASTER EGGS

Yes, its brown. No, it didn't dye well.

We did it again with white eggs but didn't take pictures.

WHO'S YOUR DADDY?

Kevin is holding his daughter, Kennedy, and Mark is holding Joey.

But doesn't it look like they could switch?

Just goes to show you that these little ladies look like their mothers.