what a ham!

on a hot day...

we like to eat watermelon. more recently, it has also been on rainy days because I am pretty sure it just rained for 11 days straight. And to top it all off, hurricane season JUST started. 

these boots are Kennedy's newest obsession. she sleeps in these boots and takes naps in them. she has also been known to wear only her pull up and her boots. 

baby colton

meet colton thomas ranew. he is my cousin Michelle's (where Amber Michelle came from) grandson, which makes my mom his great aunt, or as she prefers, GG. ;-)  Isn't he a little cutie?

this is ashley, colton's momma. her and her husband, asa, recently moved to Melbourne,FL,so we were taking advantage of seeing them. kennedy loved ashley (and colton)

here is GG, colton and Michelle (new grandma)  ;-)

can you tell Kennedy was smitten with colton?

until he had a poopie diaper, that is!

being the rare occasion that it was, everyone came over to visit with the jones/ranew clan before they headed back over to the coast. marci's mom, arlene, has been here visiting so she also got to meet little mr colton. (and yes, rebekah loved colton too)   ;-)

Wordless Wednesday...

and the search continues...

i am sad to report that we are once again looking for a preschool for Kennedy. this past tuesday when i picked her up i witnessed her teacher jerking two little girls around by the arm. when i asked the other staff  members if that was a usual occurrence, they asked which kids she was rough handling. needless to say, i didn't like their answer. i kept her out of school yesterday because i was still mulling it all over in my head. i came to the conclusion that i cannot in good conscious send her back knowing there is a possibility of her being jerked around. i do not handle her that way and i will be damned if someone else is going to. so until we find something else, it is The Ryan House of Learning...  ;-)

st patty's and spring training...

we headed down to ft myers this year to watch the red sox play the mets. it happened to be st. patrick's day, so that just sweetened the deal! the morning started off rainy and cold, but turned around really quickly in true Florida fashion. ;-)

kennedy did not go to the game with us this time. instead, she stayed home with aunt marci.  we took advantage of a family photo opportunity before we left the house. 

pap-pap-papelbon... jonathan papelbon that is.

mom and dad overlooking the right field wall. i think next year we will go for the left field wall so we can watch the red sox pitchers warm up. don't get me wrong, it was cool to see the mets players getting ready, but not near as exciting as it would have been if were matsusaka or papelbon.

i had to take a picture of this guy warming up! LOL

i am currently on the search for an outfit like this for thomas to wear next st. patrick's day. he swears he will wear it so we shall see. (i am also going to get him some john daly look alike clothes from loudmouth... pics to follow. ;-) )

just a trim.

kennedy went for her first hair cut back in march. we went to the best of the best: my mom. she sat there like a little lady and didn't make a peep. when they were done, kennedy told my mom "it is buuutiful, gaga". 

"you go home now"

Kennedy started preschool today...

to say she was excited would be an understatement. She has been practicing taking her Dora backpack on and off for about a week, and when this morning came and it was time to put all her hard work to use, she did great. When we got her in the classroom and settled, she said "bye momma, bye daddy, you go home now". 

Walking into preschool with Daddy. (I was busy taking pictures!!!)  ;-)

back at it again...

i have been gone for far too long and it is time to update everyone on our lives. things have been hectic with school and thomas is starting a wind program this month so that is going to keep all of us on our toes.

this is tristan and kennedy. they had been running around for about an hour straight and we finally got them settled enough to take a picture...

this is thomas walking in the door on his birthday and his brother tim had flown in to surprise him... his face was priceless!

thomas, kennedy and tim

we went down to chalo nitka this year and stayed on the river with judy and vern. judy bought all the grandkids planters and let them plant all sorts of herbs and spices... needless to say, it was a hit.

*

we all went to englewood to visit thomas' parents while tim was back down visiting again and I got a great shot of the three of them.

this is kennedy in her easter dress which she all but refused to smile in. it was understandable given the fact that she had a double ear infection and the beginnings of the stomach bug.

we waited until the sun went down a bit to do our easter egg hunt... k and rebekah had a blast.

still no smile, but the best face shot i got!

ma'am and sir

kennedy is very busy learning when to say ma'am and sir. for right now, she uses both. for example:

K: momma, i need juice please ma'am.

Me: o.k., kennedy... here is your juice.

K: thank you ma'am sir.


or

Me: Kennedy, are you hungry?

K: Yes please ma'am sir.


it is hilarious watching and listening to her try and figure out which one to use. as i write this she is sticking her head into the bowl of dog food taking in mouthfuls. i know some say that this is appropriate behavior and just laugh... i could not disagree more! it is disgusting and should not be tolerated! (no matter how much you pay for dog food).

k is also now able to sing her ABC's in english and spanish, count to 13 in english and 8 in spanish. ;-)

catching up on christmas...

my ONLY excuse for not blogging is that statistics is taking up too much of my time. there is a RIDICULOUS amount of work that has to be done, but whatever it takes, right? we had a good christmas here in good 'ole south florida. kennedy was a blast to watch open and enjoy everything from santa.

this is the inside of a HUGE dora house that connects to another tent through a tunnel. this now accommodates the ENTIRE back porch, but k loves it. ;-)

this is kennedy's first potty. she calls it her froggy potty and is really getting the hang of this whole potty business.

might as well try it out! ;-)

opening the nativity from nana and papa. (no, she didn't pee in the froggy potty that is still in the living room!)

sitting at her new table playing on the computer. now she can work right along side me!

trying to decide which present to open next

all worn out and cuddled up with bruce and elizabeth ready for a nap

ready for round two!

i'm confused...

we are under a:

wind chill warning
freeze watch
hard freeze warning
wind chill advisory
fire weather warning.

i am confused at what mother nature is thinking. does she think we floridians are equipped to handle such utter nonsense? i mean all you can buy in the stores right now is bathing suits and flip flops b/c as far as we are concerned, summer is just around the corner. we broke down and went to the storage sheds in order to retrieve some hats and jackets and sweats in order to better facilitate the new england-like january we are experiencing.

dear god,

please bring back mr sun.

your friend,

amber

the fashion police...

kennedy has turned into my little fashion statement! not only is her style cracking me up on a regular basis, but now she has decided that her pull-ups are better for her head than her bottom.

the funny thing about this is that i used to be in a church group and we called ourselves the "diaperheads"

reading with grammie and sporting an elegant winter hat. (you will notice it is custom made for humid florida nights)  ;-)

watching the train go around and around and around. i hate to admit it, but i was REAL happy when the presents starting going under the tree because then the train "broke". ;-)  kennedy kept telling me "i get batteries, i get batteries" - thank god she finally gave up!

k was walking teddy, which is grammie and grampie's dog. he is really little but still managed to pull kennedy down. never fear, though, daddy was right there to brush her off and start all over again. ;-)

after all that running, k let the kids pull her around in the wagon.

bekah, kalei and kennedy chillin' in the wagon.

chase knocked his head and we wrapped it in thomas' knee sling. it was too funny not to take a picture!

and here is the queen, all by herself. ;-)