Life on the Water

An end of an era?

2013-02-01T01:40:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about shutting Life on the Water down. It saddens me because I remember how exciting it was to come up with the name, purchase the domain, and share all our exciting adventures with you. It's not that I don't want to share things, it's just that our life is completely different from when I started this blog almost 8 years ago. We have a family now, different things have become important, and we've tried to slow down a bit. I have also since started and made-over my green blog (Living Shoestring Green). The focus of that blog has changed with our growing family as well, and I've moved it from Blogger to Wordpress. It is now called Our Whole Family, and the focus will be on how our family enjoys each other and attempts to live a more simple and natural life, which will include our family adventures as well as our attempts at green living.

Our Whole Family basically combines our Life on the Water family update blog with my Living Shoestring Green blog. Whole living has become so important to me that the two can hardly be separated. So I think it's time to drop Life on the Water. That said, if you'd like to keep receiving notifications of my blog posts, please pop on over and subscribe to the new feed. Click here and then click on one of the subscribe links on the right side of the page. Thanks for joining us in the next chapter or our story.

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Singapore Day 5 - Trolley Tour and Scenic Walk

2012-09-04T22:50:00.002-04:00

On Sunday, we decided to take a trolley bus tour of the city. Jimbo and I are all about trolley tours, and we try to do them for each place we visit that offers them. We love learning about and seeing the cities we visit.

Silas enjoyed the wind in his face on the top deck of the tour bus.

A street in Little India. I'd like to come back for a visit.

Kites flying in front of the cityscape. It's the Kite Festival.

A pretty pedestrian bridge crossing a busy street. There are 5 million people in Singapore, but the government control the age and number of cars on the streets. The traffic flows much more smoothly than in similar-sized cities.

Cool looking building that I am told makes for a nice light show at night.

Eliana in the rainforest park under the Singapore Flyer.

One of our tour buses, we rode three different routes to cover all the major sights of Singapore.

The Merlion in the foreground with Marina Bay Sands and the Art Science Museum in the background.

We stopped at a restaurant called Marche for lunch. They wouldn't allow pictures, but it was the coolest little restaurant. It's decorated in Bavarian-style and it's like a glorified cafeteria where the meals are made from fresh ingredients and right in front of you.

When we finished the bus tour, we decided to walk along the waterfront. We got a closer look at the Merlion and walked along Boat and Clarke Quays.

Eliana's favorite thing in Singapore, the Merlion. This is a mini-Merlion on display near the full-size Merlion which has been undergoing renovations.

We're in Singapore!

It looked like they were having sailing lessons. What a beautiful backdrop for it!

There are photographers taking portraits everywhere here. This couple was headed for photos; and there was a second couple on the far right of the bridge that was dressed in formal wear in the middle of a session.

Sunset behind Boat Quay.

Eliana sitting in on a meeting.

Eliana playing in a splash pad in Clarke Quay. There was great (American) dance music playing and the lights and fountains were constantly changing. Very Disney-esque.

Cool "pods" as I call them were found all along Clarke Quay. They covered little bars and restaurants along the water. Date night?

Dinner anyone? Eliana checking out the live seafood on display for the restaurant patrons along the water.

What a busy day!! Needless to say we were all exhausted and went straight to bed when we got back to the condo. Only a couple of meltdowns so far which is great considering the intense heat and lack of rest! And Silas just goes with the flow, smiling at his many Singaporean adnmirers. So proud of my little world travelers!

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Singapore Days 3 and 4

2012-09-04T11:09:00.000-04:00

Our third day here, we hit the ground running again. After a rainy morning, we ventured out to Chinatown where we grabbed some lunch at another hawker food court. I had Phad Thai (aka Pad Thai) - yum! Eliana had a banana fritter, and Jimbo had fried dumplings.

One of three halls in this Chinatown hawker food court.

Eliana and her banana fritter (fried banana). My Phad Thai is in the background.

Silas slept through lunch.

After lunch we visited the Singapore City Gallery, a very high-tech and impressive gallery that highlights many aspects of the city. It was a great free place to cool off from the super hot and humid weather. There were several scale models of the city and we met the part-time worker whose sole job is to update the models with the latest construction projects.

From the Gallery, we headed to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. There must have been something special going on because the outside of the temple was decorated with hundreds of lanterns and surrounded by small piles of fresh fruits. We weren't sure if these were offerings that had been placed or were for sale.

The inside of the temple was amazing. Wow. The temple was filled with baskets that were full of foods and treats (Ritz crackers, oreos, toys, cans of vegetables, etc) and wrapped in clear plastic (reminiscent of Easter baskets). We weren't totally sure what these were for, but there were hundreds of them.

We left the temple and walked through the streets of Chinatown doing a bit of souvenir shopping. It was so fun taking in the sights and smells and soaking in the culture.

The neighborhood was decorated with hundreds of lanterns for the mid-August Festival.

Hindu temple in Chinatown

We ended the day at our third hawker food court. I didn't take any pictures, though. Let's just say it was very.... authentic. We all found something to "take-away" to eat at home (just like GB, the residents in Singapore say take-away instead of take-out).

Day 4, we decided we decided to slow it down a bit to let our bodies catch up. We all slept in. Then I went with my dad to get Singapore SIM cards for Jimbo's and my cell phones. Eliana fed the resident condo Koi fish with Grandpa. And then she made some friends at the condo pool.

My mom and I picked up some yummies from a cute little gourmet deli across the street from the condo. Then we packed up and headed to Marina Bay Sands for the Wunderfull Light Show. Jet lag beaten :o)

Before the light show at Marina Bay Sands.

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Singapore Days 1 and 2

2012-08-30T11:02:00.000-04:00

Day 1 we were determined to get up and get going to try to fight the jet lag off. So we headed out for breakfast. But first, here is a picture from our arrival at my parents' house.

Eliana seeing her "room" for the first time. A mattress in a very large closet all decorated and with a new Belle doll waiting for her!

My parents' condo complex in Holland Village in Singapore.

Breakfast on Day 1 at a Japanese bakery in Holland Village.

They had SO MANY yummy bakery items! It took us about 30 mins to decide what to get!

No, that's not all Ellie's food. It's what we ended up getting. Jimbo got an egg sandwich (egg with cucumber on white toast), and we got an assortment of items: a bacon and cheese stick, blueberry creamcheese pie, to egg cream pies, a chicken hot dog (for Eliana), and a walnut cream cheese pie.

Outside our breakfast location.

After breakfast we wandered around Holland Village and visited a street market, a small shopping center, and a neighborhood grocery store.

A street produce market in Holland Village. We bought some mangosteens, an avocado, and some rambutan.

We headed back to the condo to unpack, play at the pool and rest up before heading back out for supper. We visited a hawker food court - which is almost like a tastes of Asia showcase. Even though most everyone in Singapore speaks English, it can be very difficult to understand them. And the menus have pictures with little description, so you order and hope for the best. Jimbo and I were very please with our choices - a Korean Bi Bim Bap bowl for me and a Japanese Salmon bento box for him. Oh and Jasmine Green Tea (for Jimbo) that will go on our "never order again" food list.

Day 2, we slept in a bit. The jet lag has not been as bad as we were told it would be - or maybe we just handle it well? Or maybe it will catch up with us in a day or so? My dad took a half day, so we took a bus to Marina Bay Sands to eat lunch at the food court.

Furry tree we saw during the bus ride. The vegetation here is so lush even though it is a very metropolitan area.

Bus ride.

Walking across a bridge to Marina Bay Sands... cool trees.

Gondola type boats in Marina Bay sands. They cost $10 Singapore per person to ride. Another time maybe.

My late lunch - Beef Hor Fun. It was VERY yummy.

Jimbo's Salmon and Chicken Teriyaki Bento box and Dragonfruit juice.

The food court - so clean and upscale and about a million dishes to choose from. Not good for indecisive people like us! Funny thing to note - food courts and hawker stands in Singapore DO NOT have napkins. People bring their own.

Giant fountain in the middle of the shopping area. The water flows around the bowl in the top and falls two stories into the pool below. It creates a roaring waterfall sound and gushes of wind. Think giant flushing toilet and you've got the idea.

We took a trip to Vivo City to take Eliana to Build-a-Bear (her request as something she wanted to do in Singapore). We came across this super cool playground.

Neat-o see saw.

Eliana giving her new pink bear, Eliana (yes, her namesake), a heart.

Train ride home - she is one tired girl but just keeps going with the flow. Luckily, one of my parents' friends let us borrow a stroller for her which she gladly rode in today! Something about the MRT trains here puts everyone to sleep!

We stopped to pick up a snack supper in the MRT station before heading back to the condo. Jimbo and I ordered a Jet Lag juice from a juice stand. Pineapple, Grapefruit, mint, and ginger juice. Best description - it tasted like Christmas trees smell. Let's hope it works :o)

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Off to Singapore!

2012-08-30T10:27:00.001-04:00

Our Singapore trip is finally here!! We left Mobile on Monday morning at 9am CST and arrived in Singapore on Wednesday morning at midnight Singapore time. That's a 26 hour trip people! With a 4 year old and almost 8 month old. So it actually felt like a week long trip, ha! Here are a few pictures I took during our trek.

One down! Waiting in Atlanta airport for our 13 hour flight to Tokyo, Japan. Silas was all smiles :o)

Eliana's dinner on the flight to Tokyo. Chicken nuggest with macaroni and cheese and corn, carrots and ranch dip, chocolate Teddy grahams, bread and butter, cheese and crackers, and spring water. Eliana would not have enjoyed the regular menu choices, so I was VERY happy that I had requested the child meals for her.

My Asian vegetarian meal on the flight to Tokyo. Mushy noodles, with tofu and veggies (both good), some kind of carrot and other veggies salad, and fruit with bread and butter, cheese and crackers and spring water. The regular meal selections on both flights were very good, so I will not be requesting the Asian vegetarian meals for the return flights.

Quick stop to take a picture in Japan. We had a 2 hour layover, so not enough time to leave the airport, so this picture will have to do. This was Silas' first time out of the country. I should have gotten Jimbo to take a picture of the 3 of us.

After 26 hours of traveling and little sleep, we were so excited to be greeted by Grandma and Grandpa at the airport! Here they are waiting for us just past customs.

The 12 hour flight from Atlanta to Tokyo was not great, but could have been worse. Silas had two, yes TWO diaper blowouts. He NEVER blows out, so not sure what was up?! We had a row of 4 seats for the three of us so that was nice, but very hard to get any sleep. I wished we had gone after the bassinet, but I had decided against it when the gate agent told us they had purposefully left that seat empty. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

The 7 hour flight from Tokyo to Singapore was much better than the 12 hour flight. Silas and I had a row to ourselves and were able to lay down and sleep some on the seats. Eliana and Jimbo had a row to themselves, so Eliana was able to lay down and sleep.

We had Delta on-demand movies on both flights, which was awesome! They had about 7 to 10 Disney animated movies for Eliana to watch and a few options that Jimbo and I were interested in. Can you say Hunger Games?? Yes, I was finally able to see it and was pretty stoked about that.

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First day of 4K

2012-08-30T10:10:00.001-04:00

Before we headed to Singapore, Eliana attended her first day (and only her first day) of 4K preschool. She says she loves her teacher and her teacher's name, Ms. Jessie. She will be going 2 days a week as a supplement to our homeschooling. It will give us a break from each other and give Silas and me some time together.

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Silas at 5 months

2012-06-17T21:56:00.000-04:00

Here is a slideshow of Silas' 5 month photos.

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Summer project #1

2012-06-04T18:53:00.001-04:00

I'm trying to schedule one special activity for Eliana ecah day this summer. Today was "decorate your own tshirt" day. She found a cute fuzzy iron-on design at Hobby Lobby, we bought a plain white shirt from Walmart, and we already had the Crayola fabric markers. She had a lot of fun. Here's the finished product.

First time meeting Silas

2012-02-16T18:52:00.006-05:00

Long story short... I got to meet and hold my baby a little over an hour after he was born. But what a sweet time!! Everything happened so fast - and in the check-in room - that we didn't get many pictures!

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Introducing Baby Silas...

2012-02-12T18:50:00.001-05:00

Silas James

January 9, 2012 at 2:19 am
6 pounds 13 ounces, 21 inches long

This is a little late, seeing as how little Silas is already a month old! But better late than never, right? We were thrilled to welcome our little boy into the world with an exciting and VERY quick natural delivery (if you'd like to read more about his birth story, come back soon). I felt great after his birth, so we left the hospital a day early.

Big sister Eliana was and is so excited to have a little baby brother. She is a little mommy and wants to help out as much as we will let her. She tells him good morning and good night each day, and always wants to hold him.

When we got home from the hospital, we had a little birthday party for Silas. Jimbo brought me flowers and a balloon and a cake. We sang "Happy Birthday" and Eliana blew out the candles.

My parents were able to visit us at the hospital and Jimbo's parents came down shortly after. We were very happy to have visits from both sets of grandparents.

My delivery and recovery were amazing - I felt great afterward! Two days after Silas was born, I went to lunch at Panera with my mom. Less than two weeks after his birth, we went to a Mardi Gras ball!

Here is a picture I took during some after feeding snuggle time. I just happened to capture one of those random newborn smiles :o)

And here are a few more sweet pictures I took during my many newborn photo shoots with Silas. Such a great subject to work with!

We are happily adjusting to being a family of four, and Mom and Dad to a son. Silas lets us get a good amount of sleep; he only wakes up once a night most nights. However, he does have some issues with gas that have only gotten mostly better with my diet changes. And my chronic lateness seems to have gotten even worse with the addition of another to prepare when leaving the house. But this season will pass and I wouldn't wish it away for anything!!

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Moving to Mobile

2011-11-17T10:50:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted this to our blog for our "blog only"a friends. We found out on Oct 27 that we are moving to Mobile, Alabama! You might think I'd be excited about this since it's where I grew up and where my family lives. BUT (and it's a big one) my parents aren't even going to be in the country the whole time we are living there. Plus, I'm about to have a baby - and being the green and natural girl that I am, I am NOT happy to be having this baby in a state that is not natural birth or midwife friendly :o(

Those things aside, we are thrilled with the house we have found to rent. It is as if God took everything that I have prayed and wished for over the years and put them all together is this cute little house that is owned by a cute little family that is almost a mirror image of us in size, age, beliefs, and way of life! And we connected through a flyer that my mom and I taped to the mailbox!

Also, Jimbo is excited about his job, and we are both happy to be in a familiar place for a while, even if it is while my parents are gone :o(

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Dance, dance, dance

2011-09-09T23:05:00.001-04:00

I was so excited that Eliana decided she wanted to take a dance class this year! She had her first class while my mom was here and we really enjoyed watching her enjoy herself. She is taking an hour long combo tap/ballet class.

Shuffle steps.

Getting prepped to learn first position. Ellie did not need any help getting her feet into the "V" shape.

Arabesque.

My little dancer...

She also enjoyed a bit of dancing at the Greek Festival. This was, in fact, her favorite part of the festival.

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While my mom has been here

2011-09-05T23:15:00.002-04:00

We have kept very busy while Grandma has been here. I am very glad she has come and taken my mind off of my loneliness. Here are some pictures of some things we've done while she's been here:

Ellie's new best friend at Old Navy

Ellie's first time REAL bowling. Her ball didn't make it down to the pins every time. It was a very long game.

Dress shopping for the OCS ball. Eliana loved this! She kept asking me "Mommy, is this your dress?" Like on TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress," ha!!

She had to get in on the action, too. She loves brides and was thrilled to be one for about 5 minutes.

One of the many faces Eliana is experimenting with these days.

And another.

19.5 weeks. My belly seems to be growing at an accelerated rate.

The Greek Festival (our favorite CT festival) was this weekend. My mom's and my favorite part was the food. Ellie's favorite part was dancing to the Greek music.

Watching the first Auburn game of the season while sorting through some baby boy clothes that a good friend passed along.

BIG NEWS - we got to SEE Jimbo on Sunday!! We drove over to the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT (about an hour's drive from here) and went to the campus chapel with him. It was so good to see him, sit next to him, and talk to him. What a blessing! We will hopefully be doing that some more soon!

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It's a...

2011-09-04T22:20:00.000-04:00

I had an ultrasound this past Thursday and found out that the baby is a healthy baby BOY! Our January 24th due date was confirmed. Jimbo, Ellie and I are pretty sad to lose our vision of a new baby girl, but we will adjust in time. We all were really hoping for a girl, but we know we will love a baby boy just as much. He is a true miracle from God and just what God planned for our family.

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Days without Jimbo

2011-08-29T09:44:00.002-04:00

Jimbo left home for Coast Guard Officer school (OCS) on Aug 10. He started school bright and early Aug 11. So we have been apart (with no communication) for 2 and a half weeks. Eliana and I have been making the most of our time without him. The first week after he left, she went to a wonderful day camp at our YMCA.

While Eliana was at camp, I started a refinishing project. It is an antique side table that used to be my mom's mom's. I also used it in my childhood bedroom. I am removing the paint and repainting it white to match Ellie's new bed that a friend is building for her.

Ellie and I made a chain to count down the days until Daddy comes home from OCS. It was 119 links long and took us an afternoon to make.

I turned 16 weeks pregnant the day Jimbo left. Here's a pic of my 16 month belly.

I am almost 19 weeks as I post. I measured my belly and it is 34" - with Eliana, it was 35" at 25 weeks, so it is apparent that my belly is growing bigger faster with this pregnancy. I am and was luckily over the morning sickness when Jimbo left for OCS. Now I just feel big, have a touch of reflux, and am tired.

My mom is here to visit, and her visit came at just the right time. We have an OCS group on Facebook made up of about 30 other wives whose husbands are at OCS, and just about everyone but me had received a letter from their husband. I was getting frustrated and sad and my mom arrived just in time to rescue me!

After we picked her up from the airport, we went to the mall to eat PF Chang's and to take Eliana to the Disney Store.

I have been wanting to take Eliana to an amusement park in New Hampshire, Story Land, that is geared especially toward the younger kids. We assessed hurricane Irene's predicted path and decided to take the trip the day after my mom arrived.

Eliana was excited to meet Cinderella in her castle. We also got to view Cinderella's glass slipper!

We got to site inside a replica of the pumpkin coach. There is also a motorized pumpkin coach ride that takes you to and from Cinderella's castle. Very cool!

We had so much fun and Eliana just loved the park. We left Saturday morning and made it home just in time to prepare for the hurricane to arrive. We got a lot of wind gusts and rain with the storm, but thankfully no damage. The condo is littered with leaves and small branches, but I don't have to clean it up :o)

Also, I came home to a letter from Jimbo. Hooray! He said he is doing okay, just having a hard time with time management. They are given way more than they can complete in the given time because the instructors want them to struggle these first several weeks. But he said he's taking it one thing at a time and is enjoying the academics (except for the writing).

Last night after the storm, I got a very short phone call!! What a nice surprise!! They were allowed to call family affected by the storm to check on us. He said they were restricted to their barracks all day, but it sounded like they were able to do their own thing while they rode out the storm. They were all safe and sound. It was GREAT to hear his voice, even if it was for only a minute or two.

I hope all of our friends affected by the storm fared as well as we did!

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Eliana has somthing to say...

2011-08-06T13:05:00.000-04:00

If you can't see this video, please visit the post on our site.

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May flowers

2011-06-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

The weather here has been so cold for so long. We were having temps in the 50s even in mid-June. But we have had a handful of nice days mixed in. One day in May, this tree out in front of our building was in full pink flowered bloom, so Eliana and I decided to take some pictures.

My brave girl standing in the tree. I say brave because there were HUGE ants darting around the branches.

Gosh, this look just encompasses her personality to me.

Something about this picture is so sweet.

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We're not moving today!

2011-06-27T10:52:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning excited that the packers were not coming to pack our things up.

It's about time that I post this!! The past month has been such a whirlwind! We were all set to move to PORT CLINTON, OHIO. And, no, we weren't thrilled about this - which is why I never got around to posting it. Here's a little timeline for those who don't keep us with our Facebook updates (along with the reason why we're not moving today).

June 2005 - Jimbo enlisted in the Coast Guard after applying for Officer Candidate School (OCS) twice as a civilian.
June 2009 - We found out that Jimbo was not selected for OCS again.
June 2010 - We found out that Jimbo was not selected for OCS again. It is uber competitive, but seriously?
Early February 2011 - Found out we were getting transferred to Port Clinton, OH - SHOCK! I was in Alabama at the time.
Mid March 2011 - We were already heading to Michigan to see my grandparents, so we took a detour to check out what would be our new home. We checked out a couple of Coast Guard family owned rentals while there. Eliana was the only one excited about our move to Ohio and embraced all things Ohio.
April 2011 - We signed a lease on the first place we looked at while we were visiting Ohio, and our May house-hunting trip was cancelled. Hooray!
Memorial Day weekend 2011 - Jimbo's parents arrived help us get ready for our move.
June 3 2011 - Jimbo's dad headed home and I received a call from Jimbo sounding a little uncertain, "I just found out I was selected for OCS." SHOCK!! I almost passed out!!
Later June 3 2011 - Still shaking with excitement and disbelief, I received a call from Jimbo saying that he had been selected for the August class which meant we would not have to move to OHIO!

What does all this mean you ask? It means that we are excited as all get out (and thankful to God in the same measure)!! It means that come December, if all goes well, Jimbo will be an officer in the US Coast Guard!! It means that something that has been in the making since 2005, has finally come to pass!! It means that the uncertainty about will this or won't this be the year for OCS is finally over!!

Conversely, it also means that Jimbo will enter a bootcamp like environment on August 11. Thankfully, Eliana and I will be staying in our current home, surrounded by the friends and places that we have come to know and love over the last 4 years. We will have no contact with Jimbo for a few weeks, and then only little contact until graduation on December 7. And then we will move, who knows where, in mid-December.

We are so excited and thankful! And we appreciate everyone who has supported us through the 6 years of waiting. And we appreciate any prayers and support you can send our way over the next 6 months!!

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What have we been doing??

2011-04-15T23:37:00.000-04:00

What have we been doing since November? Well, staying VERY busy - which is why I have not been so faithful to update our blog! So here is a quick rundown of the past 6 months.

November

We went to a bed and breakfast in Boston for free thanks to their Veteran's Day special. It was right on the Boston Harbor and was SO NICE! It was also walking distance to our favorite street in Boston, Hanover Street.

For Thanksgiving, we drove to New York City to see the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular.

As we passed by Fox News, Neil Cavuto was on the street recording a segment. Eliana made her TV debut behind Cavuto's head.

We had a nice supper at our favorite Thai restaurant in the country, Bangkok House, and then off to see the decorated store windows.

The parade was an experience. Not too cold. We had a nice spot partway down a side street near the Macy's store. Eliana saw some of her favorite characters in larger than life form. When we got home that afternoon, we watched the recorded parade together and reminisced about all the balloons we saw.

December

We took Eliana to a special children's performance of the Nutcracker Ballet. It was a condensed version of the real ballet and was followed by a reading of the Nutcracker story, a crown craft, and cookies.

Eliana celebrated her 3rd birthday with a Royal Ball birthday party.

We took her out to her favorite restaurant, Olive Garden, on her birthday. She scarfed down lots of salad, breadsticks, and almost her whole child's plate of fettuccine alfredo. The waitress brought her a scoop of ice cream and sang happy birthday to her even though it was against their policy - so nice :o)

She opened tons of gifts from Jimbo and me and the grandparents.

Jimbo's family came to stay with us for Christmas. And we finally had our first real snow of the season.

We went ice skating as is our tradition when they come to visit. They had rentals in her size!

January

We had lots more snow. And had so much fun playing in it!

We went on a family ski trip at Okemo in Ludlow, VT. Eliana had her first ski lesson and did great!

We took a sleigh ride. How could we not do this before leaving New England?

February

Eliana and I flew to Alabama for a month. We spent several days with Jimbo's family. While we were there, we went to an Auburn basketball game to check out the new arena...

And to meet Aubie!!

And we got to spend time with Ashley and Ellie's cousin Nic, and attend Nic's baby dedication.

The rest of the time we spent in Mobile. It was Mardi Gras season, which is one of the reasons we went down at the time we did. Eliana is a big fan of Mardi Gras, and she is apparently very good at catching things.

My dad took me golfing. It was my first time, but you can't tell, can you?

April

Things slowed down a bit travel wise, but our minds are still reeling (more in the next post). We have tried to spend lots of time with friends this month because next month we kick into "we're moving next month" gear. Here are some pictures of Eliana at a little birthday party for one of the girls in our playgroup.

Eliana with her favorite friend of the moment :o) Don't let this fool you, she is still quite the introvert when it comes to other children. The other kids love her anyway.

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Eliana 3 Years Old

2011-04-12T17:38:00.001-04:00

These pictures are a bit old, but I just went through them and wanted to add some to our blog. They were taken just after Eliana turned 3 years old in December. It was a few days after the first big snow storm, but it was in the 50s, so we popped outside to take some pictures of my snow angel enjoying her Winter Wonderland :o)

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First REAL Mardi Gras Parade

2011-02-27T19:06:00.001-05:00

Eliana have been enjoying the Alabama winter (akin to the Connecticut summer) for the past few weeks. We have had a great time with both sets of grandparents doing lots of fun things! Our latest adventure was Eliana's first REAL Mardi Gras parade in Mobile. Doesn't it make you wish you were here with us??

(visit www.lifeonthewater.net to view our Mardi Gras video)

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Blizzard 2010

2010-12-27T17:53:00.000-05:00

Well, we didn't get the white Christmas we hoped for, but we certainly got a white day-AFTER-Christmas. It snowed and blew all day yesterday... and the temps were in the mid to upper 20s. It was a frightful day, but we warmly welcomed the long-awaited and much-anticipated fluffy white stuff. The snow fell throughout the night and the wind howled... and we awoke to 13 inches of snow on the ground.

We spent yesterday afternoon playing and all morning this morning.

We'll close this post with a little video of Eliana doing what she seemed to love doing most this morning.

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First snow!

2010-11-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

Today we woke up to our first snow! Well, it was more of a snow/slush mix, but Eliana didn't mind.

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Fall Vermont Trip

2010-11-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

We love going to Vermont in the Fall. I think every Fall from now on we will have the desire to go to Vermont.

On our way to Vermont, we stopped at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, CT. This is a view we had while driving through the orchard. It was obviously peak foliage season in northern CT at the time!

This mountain had fall foliage on the bottom and snow on the top! It was snowing in northern VT that morning according to Jim Cantore.

The first day, we took a trip on the Green Mountain Railroad leaving from White River Junction, VT. The train follows along the Connecticut River. The view, though the foliage in VT was just past peak, was beautiful.

We took some lunch on the train and got to sit in the dining car to eat. That was a treat - something none of us had ever done before.

The second day, we visited the Polar Caves in New Hampshire again. We went there last year, and Ellie and I liked it so much, I wanted to take her again since she'd enjoy it more. It is the NEATEST place for those who like outdoor activities.

She got to feed some deer before we went into the caves. It seems like every attraction in New England has animals that you can feed or pet.

She got to feed the ducks as well.

Eliana helping Daddy through a cave... okay, so maybe it was the other way around.

"I see light" was something that Eliana commonly said as we neared the end of each cave.

Grandma helping Eliana through a cave.

Before our drive home, we visited Bragg Farm near Montpelier. It's our favorite Maple Sugarhouse.

These mums were beautiful and Eliana wanted me to take a picture of her with Pup Pup.

Jimbo and I had our long-craved maple creamee ice creams and Grandma shared her chocolate cone with Eliana. Pup Pup is looking on.

We took a side trip on the drive home to visit the floating bridge in Brookefield, VT. I came across this on the internet when planning our first trip to Vermont two years ago, but we've never made it there. The bridge is now closed to traffic, but it was still neat to see.

Jimbo and Eliana were putting leaves in the water so they would go down a big waterfall. The floating bridge is in the background.

Eliana showed interest in taking pictures for the first time during this trip. This picture of Jimbo and me would have turned out great if we had stood a little to our left!!

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Grandma's visit

2010-11-07T21:56:00.000-05:00

My mom came to visit last month and she timed her visit perfectly to experience a spectacular New England fall. We had fun times, took great pictures, and had a final Fall trip to Vermont (before moving this summer) while she was here.

First we took a trip to a fire station with our Toddler Moms group. I love this group, we have all known each other since our babies were born and only since our babies were born. I'll miss them so much when we move!

Next we went to a park that overlooks New Haven to take a few fall pictures. Unfortunately, fall colors weren't really out yet the weekend that we were able to go.

Our family New England picture

This captures Eliana's personality to a T!

Eliana and Grandma playing.

Next, we took Grandma to her first pumpkin patch so we could pick out our pumpkin to put on our porch.

She's enthusiastically pointing to the pumpkin we picked out.

She's sweetly holding the pumpkin we ended up taking home after we ditched the original.

I'll write about the Vermont trip in a separate post.

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