Sanibel Island: Part 1

The Skaudis Seven took to the skies recently (the husband, our 3 kids, the in-laws, and yours truly).  William had been talking for some time about wanting to go on an airplane and fly to the beach to pick sea shells.....and that is exactly what we did!  

 I am not sure my plan of flying out early Saturday morning was the wisest plan of my life...I put the kids to bed early (7 pm!) Friday night, and then got them up at 1 am to get in the car and head to Minneapolis to fly out at 7:30.  I was delusional and thought they would sleep in the ride down.  HA!  No one slept!  Thankfully, their behavior was stellar!

 Audrey in the coveted window seat.

 William taking his turn.  

 Nora took a catnap on plane ride.

 Audrey having a heart-to-heart discussion with Mummi Alice.

The trio hanging out in the Fort Myers Airport, waiting for Papa to drive up with the MINI-VAN!  I wish I had a picture of all of our luggage.  We were a sight, caravanning through the airport, 3 young children running loose and many, many suitcases.  

 We hopped in our mini-van and made the short trip to Sanibel Island.  Jeffery was in charge of directions.

 The kids finally really rested!

 Crossing the Sanibel Causeway between Fort Myers and Sanibel Island. 

 We unloaded the van and headed to the beach.  I love how excited Alice looks in this picture!

 We were able to be at the beach for a short time before we got stuck in the rain (the only rain we had while we were there).

 William can be very conservative in the water, but he mastered jumping the waves and had a blast!

 Nora, taking it all in.  The wind was impressive as the rain came.

 Audrey was more excited about all the sand and digging than about the water the first day.

 After dinner and an early night, we were refreshed and ready to start vacation.  We spent the next morning on the beach on Captiva Island (one island past Sanibel Island). 

 Here is part of the group, in search of the perfect spot on the beach.

 Alice and Jeff

 Audrey was the master of sand castles!

 I could get used to life on the beach.

 William surveying the water.  There was a significant drop a little way out (a great spot to look for shells).

 William approaching a very tame, very large bird.

 Our beach baby warming up.  This girl gets cold fast!

 See that little speck out there?  That is Jeffery!  The water was warm, I think he was bathing!

The husband and I need to take more pictures like this!

There are many more pictures to share---stay tuned to Parts 2 and 3!

Happy Easter!

Easter has come and gone already! The kids were really excited about Easter and its traditions this year.

Artist William colored the entire egg with crayons!

Audrey loved that the eggs reflected the colors of the rainbow!

Nora was thrilled to be playing in the dye...what can beat liquid that stains everything it comes in contact with?

Papa takes coloring eggs seriously.

The Easter Bunny found our house.

Audrey, William, and Nora on Easter morning.

They love each other (seriously).

These pictures lead you to believe it was a warm sunny morning....it was not! It was COLD and fiercely windy!

A whole lotta handsome in this picture!

The Girls---and their lovies!

After Easter baskets, we hopped in the car to have brunch with the Skaudis Family. The kids were so excited to see their new cousin again!

Livia is loved!

William was concerned about the flash of the pictures hurting the baby's eyes!

Audrey could not get over how tiny Livia's fingers were!

What would Easter be without Mummi Sylvia singing "WHITE EASTER RABBIT"?

After brunch, we headed to my parents' for a late lunch. Somehow, the camera never made it out of my bag there. We had a lovely lunch with my parents and Grandma Iris, nonetheless!

William's Parent-Teacher Conference

Last week we had Parent-Teacher Conferences at preschool for William. I really look forward to conferences (I know this may not always be the case)! I am so pleased with his preschool and his teachers; we are blessed that his formal education started out in such a positive way!

We were shown his progress from the beginning of the school year until now in cutting, writing, coloring, and number recognition, to name a few. He is doing so well! His teacher reports he is calm, listens to directions, plays well with others, speaks when spoken to (apparently some kids don't do this), is wonderful to have in class, and will be very missed when he graduates to Kindergarten! I know that he is really intelligent, but it is so nice to hear his teacher say the same thing!

A recent self-portrait.

Keep up the great work William! Soon you will be off to your next adventure in Kindergarten!

Phantom Pooper

*This may be too much information for those of you faint at heart, or if you suffer from a weak stomach, but this is life here.

Nora is potty trained. She has 2 fantastic role models to follow, and it came easily. We just have one little problem.....she does not make a big deal about going, essentially, she goes about her business quickly and unannounced (we have potty chairs placed strategically in the house). Then UP go the Dora underwear and she is back to playing. Sometimes I don't notice that she has dropped her drawers and is sitting for a total of 10 seconds. It has worked out in my favor most of the time (aka---relatively clean), until I am greeted by THAT SMELL.

"NORA! DID YOU POOP???!!!"

"YESSSSTH!!!!!!" (huge grin on her beaming face, and no, not a typo, she has the most darling lisp right now!!)

We are working on this.

As my children would tell you, "Everything is learning, MOTHER."

All Things Beautiful

I sometimes forget to take the time to make our surroundings beautiful, or even notice beautiful things around me. Thankfully, my oldest daughter reminds me. Audrey sees what I sometimes fail to notice.

She spotted this double rainbow after dinner one evening last summer!

Audrey checks out the evening sky, looking for magnificent sunsets.

Always on the hunt for pretty flowers!

Audrey, I hope you continue to see the beauty in life, and that you continue to remind me as well!!

Chronicles of Daily Life

The days are whizzing by, and the months are flipping too quickly. Now that all 3 of my babies are walking, talking, independent, potty-trained beings, time seems to be flying! We have been busy playing outside, and playing inside too! It's been fun---let me catch you up.

The Sisters like to collect rocks. I think they enjoy the act of gathering and collecting, more than the rocks themselves.

Nora being silly!

Audrey with her rock collection on display.

Audrey's tutu phase has been revisited. She has been wearing it for a few days (and nights!).

Nora has been practicing her casting skills so she is ready for fishing this summer.

Auntie and Grant spent the weekend with us. We all enjoyed some art therapy.

William worked hard to achieve the perfect shade of purple.

Look at those hands....the washable paint left an alien-hue to Audrey's skin!

William and his father both share a love of chainsaws.

Real tools make it easy to remove door handles.

The kitchen has been transformed into a workbench.

Martha has been popular with the kids lately. Audrey and Martha with their headpieces!

Isn't she cute?!

Nora loves to lay next to Martha and read.

Nothing beats diggers and dump trucks in the rocks and sand.

That's my Audrey---grader in one had and butterfly net in the other!

The frogs are out. Nora loves loves loves them! She squeals, "Nora hold frog, NORA HOLD FROG!"

Here's to hoping for a beautiful summer season!!!