Tiny Tomatoes - 219/365

Nothing overly exciting today. 

Jim's mom came to spend the day with Reagan, so I could try to get some editing done. 

This afternoon, I went out and noticed we had two red tomatoes on our plant. How exciting! I picked one and handed it to Reagan. She bit into it, immediately handed it back and said, "I don't like it." She's just like her mom, not a fan! It's probably because tomato guts shot everywhere when she bit into it. I distinctly remember the first time I bit into a raw tomato, the exact same thing happened. It was such a gross feeling...LOL! 

Why, we are growing tomatoes when none of us really enjoy them, is beyond me. I guess I didn't think we'd actually get any. It was a kids kit from Walmart. Those plants are now taller than Reagan and have about a zillion green tomatoes on them...LOL! I guess Nana and grandma will be getting bushels full! 

This evening after dinner, I went out and picked the other and made Jim try it. He isn't really a huge fan of tomatoes either, but will eat them. He said it was just OK. LOL! 

 After we ate, we took another stroll around the neighborhood and did some chalk drawings with Reagan. She is really into tracing people lately. Our driveway constantly looks like something horrible has happened....LOL! She was covered in a dusty rainbow of color, by the time she went in for bath. 

The photo of the day is our first red tomato! 

 I was playing with my macro lens while grilling some hot dogs tonight. I wanted to share a picture I took of rain droplets on a spider web, thanks to the crazy storm this afternoon.  I thought it came out pretty cool! 

Meeting Milana - 218/365

It was a fun day today! 

I took some pictures for my friend Amy this morning. Her little twins, Carina and Nate, just turned three. They were so fun! They did pretty good with posing for being three year old twins. We played a little Simon Says to get them to sit still. It worked pretty good! When we were done, we let them play on the swing set for awhile, while Amy and I caught up! We had a nice visit! 

After she left, Reagan and I ran out to Steamers with Nana, then ran a couple errands. 

This evening, we finally got to meet Ron and Rachel's new angel, Milana. She is absolutely perfect and so tiny! She has dark hair like her daddy. Mom and dad are doing well and Parker is liking his new sister.  Reagan seemed to like her, too. She calls her "baby Lana." 

Jim and I brought them dinner, so they didn't have to cook. I baked a zucchini lasagna and brought salad, bread and lemon cake. We brought all the paper plates, silverware and napkins, too, so they didn't have to do anything. We remember how hectic those first few weeks are with a new baby, add a toddler to the mix, and it's doubly exhausting. We just wanted them to relax. We had a great visit with everyone and I got to snuggle Milana for awhile! 

Parker and Reagan had a nice time playing. In fact, when we left, Reagan cried for 10 minutes saying she wanted to go back and play with Parker. She just loves her little buddy! 

The photo of the day is beautiful Milana... Welcome to the world sweetie!

The next is Reagan taking a peek at her new friend...

 

Butterflies and Shoes - 217/365

Most of today was just cruise preparation errands! 

Nana and I started with a walk and then hit the town. We did the mall, and a few other stores. 

I was looking for some new tennies and some dressier shoes. I ended up finding both at the mall, which was great. 

For a long time, I had been fighting the bright colored tennis shoes. Although, I admired them on other people. I finally broke down and bought an electric blue pair that have florescent green laces. I have to admit they are pretty cool and are SO comfy! They will be great for cruising the glaciers! Also, the coast guard will find me easy, should I fall overboard...LOL! 

When we got back from running the streets, I went to take my new shoes out of the boxes to put them with the suitcases. I opened my box of dress shoes and there was only one shoe in there! WTF? I immediately got on the phone and called Macy's. They didn't see a random shoe laying around. So, they said to just stop in, and they'd figure it out. 

Jim was taking Reagan to art class right by the mall tonight, so he was nice enough to handle the missing shoe problem. He got there, they located the missing shoe and he was on his way. I now have a matching pair! YAY! 

This evening, I cut the grass and did some lawn chores, while Reagan and Jim went to art class. They are having such a good time attending class together. 

This week, they made a glittery butterfly! Jim said Reagan did so great and was really into it! She wanted to do everything herself. All the other kids were finishing up, and heading to the play area. Jim asked Reagan if she wanted to go play with the kids. She replied, "No dada, I not done yet!" She just stayed there and kept working on her butterfly! I must say it was a masterpiece! 

 The photo of the day is Reagan and her beautiful butterfly...

 Next is my funky new tennies...

 

Bridgestone Invitational - 216/365

It was golf day! 

Jim and I, have gone to the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron together, every year since we've been dating. We haven't missed one yet! 

We set off for Akron around 7:30am. Nana came over to sit, while she waited for Reagan to get up. When she woke up, she was going to take her to her house and they would have a play day. 

We got to Akron, parked, and took the bus over to the course. It was a picture perfect day! Low 70's, breezy and crystal clear, blue skies! Awesome! 

We went over to number one tee, watched the first couple groups tee off, while we waited for Sergio. I love Sergio Garcia! Jim is a good husband and is always willing to follow him for a bit every year. He finally teed off around 9:30, so we went off into the course. We followed him for a few holes, then hopped over to follow Tommy Gainey for a bit. 

Gainey is a fascinating little golfer. We didn't know much about him, until we stumbled upon him at a PGA event last November in Disney. He seemed pretty vocal and fun in Florida, so we wanted to follow him a bit. He was fun to watch! He had a couple funny exchanges with his caddy about whether to hit a ball over or under a tree. He also, told his playing partner to, "talk to his ball." What a hoot!

 After quite a few holes with him, we hopped back over to Sergio, just in time to watch a typical Sergio breakdown. He pushed the ball right, and it ended up behind some trees. He had no clear shot to the green, so he just smacked it. It only went about 100 yards, ending up just short of the sand trap, on the right of the green. He walked up to it and just smacked it again. It sailed over the trap to the back of the green on the fringe. He walked up and just putted it, without even concentrating. It was something else! He did end up laughing a bit with his caddy and playing partner, David Lynn, on the next hole. We followed him to 17, then parted ways. 

We went back over to the start of the course and caught up with Phil Mickelson. Phil is my second favorite golfer. Who doesn't love Phil, really!? He seemed to still be in a great mood following his British Open win. He pretty much got cheers for everything he did, even just walking. People were pumped for him! 

We finally made it over to watch Tiger on a par 3. He had an amazing following, which made it pretty hard to even see him. He had a pretty solid lead in the tournament, so everyone was gathering to watch him win. He did end up pulling it off, which made it his EIGHTH win at Akron. WOW! 

We headed home around 4:30 and got a Wedgewood Pizza for dinner.

 While we were watching the golfers, Reagan and Brinkley had their own fun with Nana and Papa. They all went for a walk on the three mile trail in the morning. Then in the afternoon, they went out to the experimental farm to the Reptiles and Raptors exhibit. Reagan got to see owls, lizards and snakes. She wasn't afraid at all, either! She's a brave little girl! After the farm, they finished with some Menchies, her new favorite! 

When I put Reagan to bed tonight, we realized that Mr. Fuzzy and Puppy were missing. Here, she left them at Nana and Papa's. I asked her if they could spend the night over there, and if she could sleep without them. She went from zero to bawling. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, "I can't sleep without them! I NEED them!" After a quick phone call to Nana, they were on their way. She was over in less than 10 minutes to deliver them to her bed. Reagan was sound asleep, not five minutes later. Crisis averted! LOL!

Everyone ended up having a fun day! 

The photo of the day is us at the golf tournament... 

Next, is Reagan and Papa enjoying the Reptiles and Raptors.....

Browns Family Night - 215/365

I can't believe it's almost football season! It's crazy! 

 We always look forward to the first weekend in August, because the Browns host Family Night! It's the one time we can bring Reagan to the stadium and not worry about the crazies! 

We got to Cleveland around 5:00 and parked down by the Mather. Traffic getting into downtown was crazy. They seemed to have every road tore up! 

Matt, Nikki, Andrew and Ally were going to meet us for the evening! Gotta love some family fun! They had a little trouble getting into town, too, so we just headed into the stadium. We got to the entrance of the club, saw a line, and noticed everyone seemed to have a computer print out. We asked the guy in front of us what it was, and he said it was an email they sent out to ticket holders. We thought, "Oh well, we have our Browns Club Level Season Ticket holder card, we should be fine." We got to the front of the line and gave the lady our name. She replied, "We don't have you on the list for this event." I said, "But we have season tickets in the club! We've always sat up there for family night." To which she replied, "This event is just an for NEW season ticket holders." After a few more strong, but kind, words were exchanged, she let us upstairs. We finally found a table and got situated with everyone. 

The girls had little matching Browns outfits on. They looked adorable! In fact, everyone was sporting their Brown and Orange! We had a great time chit chatting and the kids were having a ball. They had a little dance party, and Andrew and Ally were taking turns carrying Reagan around. She was loving it! Ally and Reagan even did a quick make over on each other. Ally brought Reagan her very own lip gloss! They loved putting it on! 

 After we ate, we were going to head out to the seats. We just got through the door to the outside, when this girl stopped us and said, "I'm sorry, this section is closed, you'll have to take seats down in the lower level." First of all, there were barely any seats left in the lower level, and there were seven of us! Secondly, we have season tickets in the club and we can't sit in them for a BROWNS event!? Thirdly, you have an event IN the club and you aren't letting anyone sit there!? All these things were said to her, in a "stern" tone...LOL! We were HOT! The girl happened to be our ticket rep and she got an ear full, but she never budged. SO, we had to gather everyone up and go on a quest for seats downstairs. We ended up in the middle part of the Dog Pound in the very last row! Lovely! 

In the end, it all worked out and we ended up having a wonderful time! The girls had the best time playing. It ended up working well there, because they could go up and down the row without escaping. There was a cement support beam half way down the section, so they could only go so far. 

We moved yet again for the fireworks. Luckily, some people left after practice was over, so we got to move toward the middle of the stadium in the lower level. 

The fireworks were great! They were shooting them from all over the stadium, had huge laser beams, and cool music. It was quite the show! Reagan was a little scared. She kinda peeked out from Jim's shoulder the whole time. Andrew and Ally loved it! 

It turned out to be a great evening of Family Fun, even though we had to play musical chairs. It's becoming a tradition for all of us! We love it! 

Hopefully next year, we can sit in our actual seats though...LOL! 

Traffic leaving the city was quite interesting. Why they decided to work on the roads when there was an Indians game and 24,000 people at a Browns event is beyond me, but we made it home, albeit not until midnight. 

Earlier in the day, I had made my first ever zucchini bread! Shelly has kept me stocked with zucchini this summer, so I'm trying to find fun ways to use it! I found the recipe on Skinny Taste and it was delicious. It even had chocolate chips in it, I was quite proud of myself! 

The photo of the day is all of us at Browns Family Night.

The next is the kids carrying Reagan...

And finally, my first ever zucchini bread...

Attack of the Bees - 214/365

Today was buzzing with excitement! 

 Reagan started with Gymnastics. She used her "flying to Alaska" again, and was mad there was no popsicles. It was the third week in a row, she's asked for one. Poor thing...LOL! 

After Gymnastics, Nana, Reagan and I went back down to Fellows Riverside Garden, for family day. This week, the theme was spiders. She started out making a paper spider. She was so into it and pretty much did the whole thing herself. I was so proud of her! 

The kids also got to make a web for their spider. They put a black piece of paper in a Tupperware container. Then, squirted a little white paint on the paper. Next, they placed three little balls in there, rolled them all around, spreading the paint. It was so cute. 

After we did our craft, we hung it up to dry and headed into the garden. We saw two bee keepers near the bee hive so we walked over there to watch them. The hive is behind glass, so we felt pretty safe. We were watching them, when suddenly they were all around the garden. One kinda buzzed by my ear and felt like it got stuck in my hair. I instinctively swatted him away. I said, "OK, they seem pretty upset. I'm done with the bees" and started walking away toward another part of the garden. Didn't the damn bee follow me and kept dive bombing my head!!! I kept moving around and swatting, he would NOT go away. At this point, I'm doing quite the "jig" and wailing. It was horrible. It got stuck in my hair twice! Finally, I felt the "sting" and it was over. That little bastard got me right on my neck, under my ear! OUCH!! 

This nice lady, who goes every week, came flying over with an ice pack and put it right on my neck. She was like "Oh my god. Are you OK? That was crazy!" She happened to know a lot about bees, because her son does beekeeping for 4H. She said honeybees usually aren't that aggressive. We talked to her for a few minutes, when ANOTHER bee came dive bombing my head! This one got stuck in my hair, too! The same nice lady pulled it out. I finally said, "OK, I'm OUT of here all together" and hurried straight to the car.  By the time we were in the car, the bump was starting to form from the sting. OUCH! 

After we fled the scene, we decided to have lunch at LaRocca's in Poland. We were 1/2 way there when I realized my lens cap must have fallen out of my pocket while I was dancing with the bee. After lunch, we had to go back down to the garden to see if we could find it. The nice bee lady was still there, said she found it, and put it up in the main building. How sweet! We talked to her a few more minutes and she told us, the "queen bee" had died, so that can make the bees extra aggressive. Nice!

 I myself was curious about the bees, so I did a little reading when I got home. I read that when a bee stings it releases an "attack" pheromone which attracts other bees if the hive is threatened. The tend to go for dark colors, the head, and hair. Well, I was batting 1000 then. Those bees should know...I didn't kill the QUEEN! WTF! 

Before we left the garden, Reagan got to plant her spider plant, that she didn't get to do the first time around. She just loves growing things. This will be extra special for her, because it's an indoor plant she can watch all year. 

 All in all, I'm OK and it's my first sting since I was a teeny bopper. I hope I don't get another for awhile! 

This evening, Jim and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. I also, made enchilada zucchini boats for dinner...YUM!   

The photo of the day is the bee hive and my sting site...

 The next is Reagan and her spider plant....

Golf, Planes and a Little Friend - 213/365

August first, oh my!! Where did the summer go!? 

Today, Jim, Greg and Frank were off to Akron to check out the Bridgestone Invitational. They left around 7:30 and didn't get home until 7:00. Full day! 

The weather report for today, was making them a little nervous the past couple days, because it called for storms. Turns out, they didn't have a drop of rain. Actually, it was blue sky and sun all day. Jim even got a little red! They got to see all their favorites "reach out and touch them close", so they were happy. They traveled around the course checking out groups, but spent a lot of time on hole four, just watching different groups come through. They ended up having a great time! 

While they were doing that, Nana and I hit the trail. We were walking along when I looked down and saw the tiniest salamander. He was smaller than a finger! I scooped him up and we were just checking him out. I had never seen one like him before. He was so cool! 

 After the trail, we worked up an appetite, so we had lunch at Bob Evans. At lunch, Reagan wanted to play with her "Airplane Toob" that Uncle Ed brought her last week. We were sitting at lunch, when Reagan started saying that certain family members were taking different planes to Alaska. I think she's starting to get pretty excited! LOL! 

Raymond and Jennifer got to ride together in the fighter jet. Nana and Papa also got to ride together in the orange commercial jet. Aunt Pam rode in the chopper. Uncle Ed was brave and took the parachute. Jim shuttled off in the shuttle and I got to take the concord. I suppose I beat everyone there! LOL! It was too funny! 

After lunch, I went up to get my hair done at Casals. It was MUCH NEEDED! Whew! 

While I was there, Reagan hung out at Nana's and played games. She was going to stay for dinner, too. Nana and Papa wanted to take her over to Tippy. 

Great day for everyone! 

The first photo is Jim, Greg and Frank at the golf tournament. 

The next is our family airport...

And finally, our little salamander friend....