I'm in Love!

Have I mentioned I LOVE shelling?  Well, there is this blog about shelling that my kids and I love.  The woman who's bog it is, Pam, happens to live in Sanibel Island- which is about an hour North of us.   Well, on Friday we went to Sanibel Island and ran into her! What luck! It was meant to be. She was so nice and I was so happy she took the time to visit with us.  She even took our picture and put us on her blog.  Check it out!  We made it on our favorite website!

http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/

Beach Bling

I have a new hobby.  (Not like I needed one)  I have become crazy about SHELLING.  Yes, It only took me 2 years of living in Florida to discover the name.  I loved shelling as a kid.  We would go to California and I would spend all my time at the beach looking for shells.  In fact, I like searching for any kind of treasure.  And shelling is a lot like treasure hunting- only better cause you actually find little treasures! I love it!  Each little shell is a little work of ART created by God!  It is amazing! I love to walk along the beach finding treasures.  Then bring them home and go through through all the ones we found that day.  It is so much fun!

This is what our front walkway looks like after an awesome shelling trip to the beach. 

These pretty ones are called Spiny Jewel Boxes.

These ones are Fighting Conch's.  These are pretty common- especially alive, they seem to be everywhere in the fall.

Paul found this cool Horseshoe Crab Skeleton. 

Here is the underside. 

These are called Shark Eye or Moon Shells and the bottom two are Colorful Moons.  This was actually the first time we found any of these- and we ended up finding a bunch!

Olive Shells.  She that top one on the left?  That one is amazingly big and shiny.  Bling!

I think these are a kind of Lucine

Look at this fun little one called a True Tulip.

Alphabet Cones.  Aren't they cute?

A Nutmeg. 

This cute little guy is called a Top Shell!

These fun ones are called Pear Whelk

Banded Tulip

Atlantic Semele

I love this little one- it is beautiful!  We have only found one of these Wentletrap

Another Banded Tulip- this one is in great shape.

I love these fun little Kitten Paws.  Can you guys why they are named that?

Broad-Ribbed Cardita

Turkey Wings for dinner anyone?

This cute little guy is a Sharp Rib Drill

And of course the Worm Shell.

Augers. I love these ones.  If I could have names them I would have named them Unicorn Horn or something cool like that.

Cerith. At first I thought these were the same as the Augur's- but I have been doing my Sea shell research. 

We liked this one cause of the backwards S

Cross Barred Venus.

One of my favorite- Scallops!

Oysters are so pretty too!

A really beautiful Sharks Eye! I mean, look at that thing 

Altemate-Tellin

Florida Prickly Cockle.  These ones get pretty big. Boom Shellalaka!

Slipper Shells- wanna know why they call them Slipper Shells?  Check out the next picture...

They look like a little slipper!

Here is some fun coral.  I love the little star shapes. 

More Calico's.  Or maybe it's the same picture but I love them so much I subconsciously put the same picture up twice.

I am not sure what this is- some sort of clam- but look how think this shell was! Amazing!

Coins we found with the metal detector.  Remember how I said I love to look for treasure? Yea.

These cute little shells get looked over a lot but they are one of my favorites! Ok, they are all my favs, these are Jingle Shells and they are so fun because they are translucent.

Some cool Barnicals on a shell.

Well,that is all my pictures for now.  But I am sure I will have lots more to come- Full moon tomorrow night so we will be going shelling first thing Friday morning! Shellzam!  

Kyle's Talk

Kyle gave the cutest talk in primary on Sunday.  Here it is.

He is such a good kid.  We love Kyle!

No-See-Ums

Did you know there are fly's out there with a worse bite than mosquitoes?  The Sandfly- or as we call them: no-see-ums.  Why are they called that? Because they are so small you don't really see them.  When they are eating you for dinner, you can feel it a little.  But not like you will be felling it the next 4 days!  I did nothing for 4 days except itch my legs and arms.  I tried to go to yoga, but it was impossible to concentrate! I couldn't even sleep at night and ended up taking Benedryl.  While that helped with the itching I felt like I had been drugged.  It was better than the itching.  I have never, ever, ever in my life had such horrible, itchy bites all over- for so long. These weren't like mosquitoes, where they last a day or 2.  I mean, this was a complete 4 days of severe itchiness.  I am going to have scars!  I just had to continue with the Benedryl- which made conference one big long weekend dream.  I think it was good? As if staying awake for conference wasn't hard enough!  Ok, I'm kidding- I heard some of it.  My mom says Chiggers are horrible too- but I've never had a chigger bite.  (knocking on wood here)
Even Wikipedia stands by me when I say they are worse than mosquitoes-
"Sandfly bites may leave large, red itchy bumps that may turn into a rash. These bumps are frequently several times as itchy as mosquito bites, and tend to last longer as well."  Duh.  Well now I know.

How did this happen?  Well, I have picked up a new hobby- shelling!  I love it- but that's a different post.  I dragged my kids up to an island to get some shells. We got some good ones, but also got eaten alive.  I had no idea.  I thought they bite you and that's it.  Little did I know that horror that would be manifesting itself the next day.

It's hard to see- but I counted over 100 bites- on this ONE LEG! 

Poor Ellie got them so bad too!

Oh the picture don't even do the horror justice.

 Paul got them all over his back and was begging all of us to scratch his back- but none of us could because we were too busy scratching our legs! Anyways, I think most of the damage is over.  We seriously will probably have scars.  Physical and mental.

Beware of bear

This guy or girl, has been roaming our neighborhood.  



I didn't take the picture, someone else in the neighborhood did. 

We had a bear that kept coming around last winter- and they had a whole swat team come in and tranquilize it and ship it off to who knows were. 
It seems like all the forests in the area have been bulldozed down and developed since we moved here.   I'm not a hard core environmentalist, but I can't help but feel a little bad for animals when I see them roaming neighborhoods.    
You know, and aren't bears supposed to be out West?  I mean what is this bear doing in Florida anyways?! It's going to get in a fight with an alligator or something.  It just seems like trouble if you ask me.  Bears in Florida, ha! 

Up To Ten

One of my favorite websites for toddlers is http://www.uptoten.com/   It is a super cute website- Just click on the Free version- my kids love the games and Gabe loves the songs.  When I am making dinner sometimes I will put on the- Play All Songs Continually- and let Gabe watch it.  He loves it!  And yes, I led Gabe watch electronics. 

Time

We went to Ellie's school the other morning to see Ellie be the news anchor for the "School News"  We curled her hair the night before and chose a special outfit.  She was so excited. She was just a doll.

 I can't believe how fast my kids are growing up.  It  makes me sad, and happy all at the same time.  I love to see them develop their personalities.  I love doing stuff with my kids, and becoming better and better friends with them.   But I also understand why my Opa used to always push down on my head so I would stop growing up.  It didn't work.  My Opa got old, and passed away.  I got older and had kids.  And now they are growing up and I push on their heads.  Life is strange. Time is such a strange thing.  How it just goes.  There is no stopping time.   Once it is gone, it is gone forever.  There is no going back.  No Ellie sleeping in her crib again, waking up with crazy hair.  Or Paul being so messy that it seems I will never get a thing done.  Or Kyle making motorcycle sounds.  No more nursing my babies.  No more first steps for Ellie, Kyle, or Gabe.  I guess it's about looking ahead.  Paul receiving the priesthood.  Ellie's first date.  Kyle's first motorcycle.  Gabe's first pair of underwear. It's about enjoying each day.  I am trying to soak it all in.  I am happy with each and every day with my children with whatever stage they are at. 

 Ellie and Kyle's school is awesome.  They so everything based on real life. - Here is the morning news.  Ellie was on the News Crew.  The do News every morning and it is broadcast to all of the TV's in all of the classrooms.  Cool! When I was a kid we just had a loudspeaker!

Ellie getting ready for the news.  They do it upright!  Green screen and everything!

Close up of that beautiful girl.

One more- I can't help myself!

They have kids run the camera's and everything!  It is great!

Ellie, in the back room after the news.  If you want to see the show-
Here is the video of her reporting the news:

http://youtu.be/9u9M8ctgBvM