"Oh ... I missed you sooooo much!"

Well, it had been a while but Joe and Melissa got back to Orlando for some quality time with Jae, Cynthia, and of course Jordan. Apparently, the two kids had a great time playing together all by themselves. A great plus since Melissa got some time to visit and relax herself. While the original plan was to visit Disney ... time, stress, and 'the bug' kept them home. So they ended up coming home a little earlier than planned. Good news ... on returning home Patricia managed to sell her car - which took a lot of the stress away. But it was a fun and the kids had a good time, which is really the main thing.

Choo-choo ... the train is coming through

Of course I did not get a chance to go since I had the ride-along with the Sarasota Fire and Ambulance Department. It was fun and educational ... though it was a slow night. Maybe I will be able to get out again at some point. I have to thank the county for giving me to opportunity, it was incredible.

We just wanted one movie Joe?

Guess he had other plans :-)

Now, when Joe got home he was in such a playful mood. Wanted to play a little hide-and-go seek, and maybe do a little shopping. All these games we can play, and things we can do. You just want to pack the excitement all up so you can take it anywhere.

Its pack and play Joe

Bedtime comes quickly though - remember to brush your teeth

Over the last few days Joe has really been under the weather. He seems to have caught the bug Melissa had a week or so ago. His throat is sore, he is running a fever, and thus having a tough time sleeping and eating. But, like the trooper he is ... he pushes right through it. Little something for the fever and juice for his throat ... and he is good to go...

... right to Orlando and a trip to Disney. He, Melissa, and Patricia headed that way this morning on her last weekend in town. I, however, must stick behind ... getting a ride-along with the Sarasota Fire Dept. I am pretty excited, should be a educational evening. I got to sleep in and right now, I am headed to a new Thai restaurant opening in town here - same owner as our favorite "Pad Thai". The pain of staying behind ... oh the pain! :)

The perfect way to start the day

Joe says goodnight as I end up working a little late ... night Joe!

Pixar - Disney, another well done feature

An interesting thing has happened over the last couple months, Joe has started to get more interested in the TV ... well, movies. Several weeks ago I through on Toy Story too see what he would do - loved it. Sat and watched a good portion of it before getting up. Then he requested it the other day with Melissa ... hmmm, starting to like the Pixar animations eh? The older Disney videos don't seem to capture his attention the same way ... the music isn't as modern and the colors aren't as bright. Even the dogs in The Lady and the Tramp did not clam him. But he loved Toy Story ...

So, this last saturday we decided to give the theaters a shot. Joe has already been to both Star Wars III and Serenity, why not give him a chance at the $1 seats with Cars. Mistake.

Well, not completely ... he did enjoy most of the movie - especially the first 20 minutes. But, he just cannot sit still that long anymore. He needs to get up and move - then come back. So, a little oatmeal got in Melissa's hair by the end of the film ... but for a kid not a year and a half yet - he did quite well. However, we won't be back with child for another year - at least.

As for the film ... we enjoyed it. The story was basic, simple, but the characters were funny. They really showed the personalities, if not stereotypes, of their representations well. Geared more towards the younger generation, it lacked a little of the adult content ... but still a great feature. And the animation ... wow. The shine, the polish!

After the movie Joe spotted McQueen in Sam's Club, so maybe he even made a connection. Non-the-less, November 7th will find the DVD on our shelf ... well, probably Joe's shelf.

This was what we wanted, a computer armoire to replace our desk. The desk was slowing falling apart, did not fit our current household stylings, and generally just provided a large table to store piles of papers, pictures, books, and such. So, we were looking to move to something that can "close the lid" on the mess - well, really, just something that provided better organization.

So we search around - turns out it was hard to find things that fit our 'requirements'. The armoires were are best bet, and Office Depot had one of for $250 (less with a sale). So we ordered, and tossed the old desk out the door. But what we got was horrid ... cheap materials, shotty craftsmanship, and crappy product. Scratches, bangs, misalignments ... it was a mess.

So, after a hassle of ordering (apparently their online system does not like our cards) it was time for a replacement. Well, the delivery dude did not want to hike the stairs so ... he reported we were not home. Well, that there goes Melissa's day ... no notice just a no show. So ... please just take the old one we will do without. The box sat on our floor almost a week before they came by again.

So ... we are off looking again, but when we come across something it needs to be shipped from LA or is out of stock. Think we might want to hold off a little and "wait and see" -- nothing should be this difficult. Hey, maybe Dad wants to throw something together ... what do you think? Are you bored?

Anyways ... even with all the hassles ... Joe keeps us smiling

So ... we thought we moved to the land of strong wind and quiet earth. However, this morning the house did the wiggly ... a 6.0 wiggly - well, it was a bit off the coast, but we felt it. While rare, quakes in the area have been reported before. But lets just hope the mid-plate shifties keep calm.

Wacky world we live in.

Joe has come a long way - he floats like a superstar

Saturday morning was my lucky day. A missed swim class ensures one class gets to be shared with Dad, and I couldn't have been more excited.

Kurrsploosh!

He even got a chance to try a few breast strokes

Can we do that again?

Girls of Miami

Now that I have a few more minutes I thought I would share some of the photos Krishen took over our last weekend.

The clip above was captured as Joe made some friends while we were outside awaiting Patricia and Melissa. Joe came across this little puppy (ok, not so much a puppy) being pulled along on a cart ... well, taking a dog for a walk is fun normally - now one on a cart ... WOW!!. Turns out that she has cancer so this cart was built by a friend so the owner (seen in the clip) could take her on longer walks from the house. Joe was more than happy to help him along.

Don't forget to check out both Krishen's and Patricia's postings on the trip as well, and of course these wonderful shots.

This way guys ... the water is this way

One must find time to relax during the day - Joe shows me how

Joe gone wild - swimming in y're undies

Our little devil - I always suspected something was up

Patricia was determined to see a flamingo

Thanks for the pictures Krishen

The sun says goodnight

This weekend we thought a road-trip was due - so we booked a campsite, packed the bags, and turned the car south. It was dark by the time we reached the outskirts of Miami, but the campsite was well lit - a good thing with the first setup of my birthday gift. The 3-bedroom pack-away house actually went up with remarkable ease ... those swiss really know what they are doing.

After we were setup it was time to move in

Then Joe wanted to show us around

Saturday we headed down to South Beach to see some of the sites Miami had to offer. We may have missed waffles for Melissa's birthday breakfast ... but we stopped off at another restaurant for lunch that I think made up for things.

Any restaurant name "Chocolate" needs to be explored

Of course cake was a staple on their menu

The whole South Beach area was quite nice, with the "Spanish Historic Village" a wonderful walk through artist galleries and quant shops. Then, after enjoying a step in the Atlantic ocean, a little shopping, and a coffee on the boardwalk it was time to head back to the campsite for a dip in the pool and hot-dogs and marshmallows cooked over an open fire. All-in-all, it was a great road trip and camping excursion - I will post more pictures later, Krishen was the shutter bug of the trip and has a number that I really would like to share.

I know they grow up fast ... but this is crazy