Karma Chameleon

Kennedy has been wanting a new pet...a chameleon.  I am ABSOLUTELY opposed because I have an ABSOLUTE phobia of reptiles.  Maybe I'm a total sucker but I kept thinking to myself we should do it.  We had so many fun pets: lovebirds, a parakeet, a canary, guinea pigs, a pig, dogs, cats, bunnies (oh man! did we have bunnies!)...how bad can one lizard be?  Unfortunately, while most of my pets were fuzzy and feathery, alot of Shane's pets were scaly: snakes, alligators and an iguana.  How Debbie was able to walk in her house I'll never know.

So, for one weekend we entertained the idea and did some research. She and Lainey Lacey went to the pet store to see what it means to take care of them.  Not sure that was a great idea....it only made her want one more! She even got to hold this creature.  This is a female and not nearly as colorful as the males.

Don't you EVEN say "oh, it's kinda cute!"  My insides were flip-floppin when this thing came out of its cage.  I did not sleep for two nights imagining having a lizard in the room next to me. 

I am still OPPOSED to this idea and fortunately Shane is supporting this since we really don't have the time to devote to a baby chameleon...or the patience and time to raise/buy crickets. I just have to wonder how long he'll be able to hold out. 

Strike!

We took the girls bowling on Saturday.  Usually their Meme takes them but Shane hasn't seen Isabella bowl and it's been a long time since he went with Kennedy.  We splurged on Saturday and it was really fun. 

Kennedy is really good - even with no bumpers!

Isabella's ball isn't breaking any speed records and she has plenty of time to dance around before it gets there. 

Root beer and bowling - it was a fun Saturday.

Dan & his girls

Lady's little legs can't go for long walks anymore so Dan gets double the attention.  The bike path is right behind us so it makes the perfect spot for a quick walk.  We are excited to take bike rides down it this summer.

Safety Patrol

Rain or snow, Kennedy has been on safety patrol this year keeping her school streets safe!

Honeymoon For Now

Last year at our wedding Dr. Trotta and Kathy gave us the weekend use of their home in Seattle as a wedding gift.  What a fabulous gift! And almost 1.5 years later we were finally able to do it! They just bought the home earlier last year and have spent almost every weekend over there renovating and furnishing it.  We tried coordinating a weekend they would be gone with a weekend we wouldn't have the girls/didn't have other plans.  So about 2 months ago we coordinated schedules and settled on this past weekend to go.  Of course plans changed at the very last minute but we still decided to go.  I'm so glad we did! 

Most evenings we are finally both home around 8:30 and when we do finally get home we are trying to get ready for the next day with class prep or packing lunches or grading (or sneaking in a guilty-pleasure episode of 'X Factor'). With both of our work schedules, kid schedules, and all the worries we have going on right now, it is easy to disconnect.  I think this weekend was really rejuvenating for our relationship and our individual peace of mind.

We didn't take a honeymoon, in fact, we both had to work the day after our wedding!  Definitely, do NOT recommend that to anyone.  I decided this would be sort of a "honeymoon for now."

As far as lodging, this was top notch!  Check out the view from their living room:

 

We did some site seeing and LOTS and LOTS of eating!  My idea of a perfect vacation and we had amazing Seattle weather, 50 degrees on Saturday and Sunday!

Friday night we wondered up and down Queen Anne and ate a salad at 5 Spot which rotates its decor around 5 different cities every 3 months.  This month it was Philadelphia and they had all kinds of cool paintings and Philly landmarks:

Saturday morning we went to Pike Street which I had never been to and walked around all morning with a cup of warm coffee in our hands (Shane had cocoa).

 The fruit and vegetable displays were gorgeous.  I saw fruits I had never heard of before - it was beautiful.

 I got to see the Fish Market and got a bowl of shrimp cocktail as a snack - YUM!

 They had HUGE bouquets of flowers for $10 - I couldn't believe how many flowers there were!

 We accidentally wandered past THE ORIGINAL Starbucks.  I had no idea it started so quaint!

Later Saturday afternoon we drove to his friend Ryan's house to say hi.  I had met Ryan a LONG time ago at OIT when him and Shane visited. Shane had a good time reconnecting with him, his wife, and new baby.  On the drive to Seattle I saw the shipyard which was incredible:

Perspective: look at all these railcars

Check out this boat

Railcars loading on a boat

= AMAZING

We were going to buy crab legs at Pike Street but decided against stinkin' up Tom & Kathy's house so we went out instead.  We ate at a cool restaurant on the water with a great view.  The bibs were every bit as cool as they look.

 Found my dream bus:

Sunday before we left Kathy told us to walk to a nearby bakery for fresh pastries and coffee.  What a perfect way to start a Sunday!

 I came home relaxed and 10 pounds heavier!

This picture was after MANY attempts to get our faces in the same shot as the Space Needle!

 Happy 'honeymoon for now' to us!

Isabella Writing

Isabella's writing is getting so good!

The more I'm around the girls the more natural it feels to do things a Mom would do in the evenings.  We have fallen into an evening routine and I find myself (suprisingly) liking to do the routine things I remember my Mom doing.  Simple things like packing Kennedy's lunch for school, helping with bathtime, reading bedtime stories, and giving lots of hugs. I know I'm the stepmom and that can sometimes come with negative connotations to kids.  Shane's girls have been as welcoming to me as any stepmom could ever ask. I'm SOOOOO lucky.

I talked with a patient a few weeks ago that was in his 30's and he had really great things to say about his stepmom and how he was really happy she was part of his life.  I can get fairly discouraged sometimes and his conversation really uplifted me. Of course, it is PRICELESS that Shane is so supportive of me.  He seems to sense when I need help finding my way or when he should let me find my own way and not say anything. He is an amazing hubby that way.    

But sometimes despite what Shane (or a random patient) says, sometimes it's just best to feel love from the girls.  Sometimes they do or say things that make me feel like they've really accepted me as part of their family and it touches my heart so much.

Isabella drew this the other night:

Isn't this the best looking family you ever saw?!  I didn't happen to see this picture until Shane put it up on the fridge.  This picture meant the world to me and came at just the right time.

Trick or Treat!

Barbie Cheerleader and the Spider Bride