Shark Week

I am so excited.... Shark Week on Discovery Channel. Twice a year the Discovery Channel hosts "Shark Week" with a week full of shark-related programming. I can remember watching "Shark Week" when I was in high school. I have been fascinated by sharks for as long as I can remember. (May be in part because my Dad let me watch "Jaws" when I was young). To this day, it is still one of my favorite movies. And since I have lived on the Emerald Coast for 25 years, I have seen my share of them in person. I can recall a large group of Hammerhead Sharks congregating under the Destin Bridge (the same bridge I swam under numerous time.) I have also seen tons of sharks around the fishing piers on Okaloosa Island. And to top it all off, when I was about 8 years old, I remember going deep sea fishing with my Dad and his buddies and a Hammerhead Shark (a big one) ended up in the boat with us. Unfortunately that episode ended badly for the shark but it was an amazing sight to see one that close up. That is something I will never forget!!! Anyway, although I love "Jaws" and other shark movies I do not believe they are out to get us and search us out as food. I believe they would much rather have some fish for dinner than you or me. So check out the programming on the Discovery Channel this week and you might learn something new about these prehistoric fish and I think you will like it.... well, if you like or are even remotely interested in sharks that is. Dive in!!!

I got an idea!

OK... the photo really has nothing to do with the post but I love it. Landon was walking around in my shoes and it was too cute.

Yet another adorable thing my son does..... when he comes up with something he will say, "I got an idea!" He says it so matter-of-factly it is just precious!

On another note, guess who slept in bed with Mommy again last night??? I have created a monster and it is all my fault!

Lastly, something I received by e-mail for all you Mommies out there...

On Being a Mother........
We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of "starting a family."
"We're taking a survey," she says half-joking.
"Do you think I should have a baby?"
"It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral.
"I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations."
But that is not what I meant at all.
I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her.
I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes.
I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.
I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?"
That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her.
That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.
I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub.
That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a soufflé or Her best crystal without a moment’s hesitation.
I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood.
She might arrange for childcare, but one day she will be going into An important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell.
She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.
I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine.
That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather Than the women's, at McDonald's, will become a major dilemma.
That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that restroom.
However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.
Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself.
That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once She has a child.
That she would give herself up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.
I want her to know that a caesarean scar o r shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor.
My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, and not in the way she thinks.
I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is Careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child.
I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again, for reasons she would now find very unromantic.
I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving.
I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike.
I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time.
I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.
My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes.
"You'll never regret it," I finally say.
Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.

Touching Video

Break out the kleenex...This was sent to me this morning and it is so touching I wanted to share it with all of you! It is the motorcade from the church to the cemetery for Tony Forgione's funeral.The person who made the video is a deputy in Gulf County. She was amazed at the number of people who came from far away and the ones that lined the road as the motorcade passed and then the large flag near the cemetery.

YouTube Video - Deputy Forgione Funeral

MySpace Video - Deputy Forgione Funeral

More Adorable Things

Needless to say, yesterday was a very hard day and so I was thinking of all of the wonderful things Landon has brought to my life. There are so many ways he has enriched my life it is incredible. The way he was comforting me yesterday tells me he has learned compassion and how to comfort people when they need it and it amazes me his sincerity in these simple acts.
So, I wanted to share a couple of things he has started doing more recently. Lately, after I tell him something that he isn't quite sure about he will ask me "Are you teasing me, Mommy???" It is so cute. Then he will say, "You're teasing me Mommy!" with a huge grin on his face. It amazes me how quickly he learns such phrases and knows exactly when to use them.
He is also learning to spell, well, mostly he now recognizes the letters. But when we get to a "Stop" sign he will say, "S-T-O-P spells STOP." He also tells me when I make a rolling stop instead of a complete stop by saying"Mommy, you were supposed to stop at the stop sign." I will have to be more careful about that! And he has also learned to recognize "house for sale" signs. And when we read books he wants to spell a lot of the words. Of course, I think he is brilliant and can't wait to see what he learns next. It seems to be something new everday now!

Unit 245 - End of Watch

Deputy Anthony "Tony" Forgione

In Honor of a Fallen Hero

Today a true hero will be laid to rest and a family and community will grieve. The outpouring of support from the community and around the nation has been incredible. Rest easy Tony. You will truly be missed!

UPDATE: This was a truly moving tribute for a wonderful man. There wasn't a dry eye in the church. Click here to see video done by our local media.

A Dog's Life

I was watching my Lucy sleep the other day and just had to get a picture. Don't you wish you could sleep this soundly????

OCSO Mourning The Loss of a Brother

It is a sad day at the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. The law enforcement family is grieving the loss of our brother. This morning Deputy Sheriff Tony Forgione was shot and killed in the line of duty. This is something everyone in law enforcement fears and prays that they never have to experience, the loss of one of our own. My heart aches for his family and I can't imagine what they must be going through. The thought and prayers of of our entire community are with them during this difficult time. A trust fund has been set up at Beach Community Bank for his family, the Deputy Sheriff Anthony Forgione Benefit Account. Please doate if you can. Our community has lost a true hero. Click here for the story from our local newspaper....

End of Watch - July 22, 2008.

FINAL INSPECTION

The Policeman stood and faced his God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining as brightly as his brass.
"Step forward now, officer. How shall I deal with You?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To my Church have you been true?"
The officer squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Cause those of us who carry badges can't always be a saint.
But I never took a penny that wasn't mine to keep,
Though I worked a lot of overtime when the bills just got too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help, though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God forgive me, I wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place among the people here.
They never wanted me around except to calm their fear.
If you've a place for me here, Lord, it needn't be so grand.
I've never expected or had too much.
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne where the saints had often trod.
As the officer waited quietly for the answer of his God.
"Step forward now, Officer, you've borne your burdens well.
Come walk a beat on Heaven's Streets. You've done your time in Hell."

-Author Unknown-

Weekend Update

Talk about a fun-filled weekend... actually a fun-filled Friday and Saturday! (Landon went to stay with his Daddy on Saturday night so Mommy could have a little fun.) On Friday evening we went over to Ms. Gini's house again and had a great time as usual. This is the first time I have allowed Landon to use "floaties" in the pool. I had always heard that you should NOT use "floaties" for a child because it gives them a false sense of security and they may try to float without them. Well, now I see that what I have heard is true. He had a blast floating around by himself but when we were done he went back into the pool and plunged in and sank like a rock. Of course I was right there to pick him up but I believe he and I learned a valuable lesson!

NICEVILLE CHILDREN'S PARK

On Saturday we went up and saw Grandpa Wagner, which Landon and Grandpa Wagner always enjoy. The other residents love Landon as well! Then we went over to the Niceville Children's Playground and Spray Park. All I can say is WOW! This park is awesome! It has a huge playground and an area that has all kinds of sprayers and fountains. It has a great shady place for adults to sit and watch the kids and best of all.... it is completely FREE! Landon had a blast. Needless to say, we will be going back very soon.

Extraordinary Mothers

I wanted to share this clip with everyone because I sent it out by e-mail and received so many replies about how moving it is, especially for mothers!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Midnight Visit

Guess who came and crawled into bed with me again at midnight last night? I'll give you one guess!

Bed Buddy

OK... for those of you who had your minds elsewhere (you know who you are!)... this is a "G" rated blog so try to stay with me.

I may have started something that will be very difficult to stop. The last couple of nights Landon has slept in my bed with me. My friends tell me that I am lucky to have made it this far without having Landon in my bed every night. Even when he was a baby, I hardly ever put him in the bed with me. I won't tell you I wish he wasn't there because I love having him there but it is harder to get him to sleep and it cuts into some of my very much needed "me time". I get so little time to myself so I usually reserve the late evenings to do the things I need to do or want to do. Well, as you can imagine, with Landon in my bed that is extremely difficult. He is also a wiggler. He wiggles all night long and has to have an arm or leg on me. So, I don't get a good night's rest which I very much need.

That being said, I love any time I spend with him so I haven't felt the need to make him go back to his bed. And I must have fallen asleep before him last night because I was awaken by a kiss on the forehead and when I opened my eyes, there was Landon. He so sweetly whispered, "good night" and then lay down to sleep. How on earth can I argue with that????

And Landon's cousins stopped by for a little fun the other night. He always enjoys playing with them!

Ray Ray, Ashley, Landon and Robert

Weekend Fun

Who knew a laundry basket could be so much fun!!!!

Cute things

I just wanted to share a couple of cute things Landon did this weekend:

He was laying on my stomach this morning and he heard it growl. He turned to me and said, "Mommy, your tummy is growling. Let's go get you a snack." He then took my hand and led me into the kitchen. Precious!!!

And lately if I say something or do something that seems amazing to him, he will say, "Are you kidding me Mommy?"

He also said something the other day that wasn't so cute. He said his first "naughty word." Now, as far as bad words go this one is not the worst but I was surprised to hear it come out of my 3-year old's mouth. We had a nice converstation about why we should not say that word and hopefully that will be the end of it. I must say, however, that he did use the word properly and in the right situation.

GINI

My Mother, Landon and I went over to Ms. Gini's house yesterday evening for some swimming and fun. Ms. Gini is magical! She is a very special person to all three of us. She is like a mother to me and has been since I was about 8 years old. Her son, Matt, is one of the best friends I have ever had. I spent hours upon end at her house when I was a young girl. Matt, my brother and I were inseperable as kids and our folks were very close as well. Now, I won't tell you that were weren't mischievous, that pretty much sums up the three of us and we got into our share of trouble. Frankly, I'm not sure how we have survived this long but I've heard the saying, "God watches over fools and children", so we had two things going for us. I can remember so many wonderful times with Ms. Gini and I am thrilled that Landon gets the opportunity to make some wonderful memories with her also. He loved her from the first moment he met her and it is so easy to see why. He has yet to discover that she is a human and not his magical toy! We love you Gini!

Seminole Football Countdown

MADDIE & LANDON - LITTLE SEMINOLE FANS

It is slowly but surely approaching... football season! More specifically, FSU Seminole Football. The first game is September 6 and myself and my fellow Seminole alum can't wait! I'm cautiously optimistic since the last couple years we have struggled and are in the process of rebuilding. But I am not a fair weather fan, I am a NOLE GIRL and I bleed garnet and gold so I will be cheering them on no matter what. I know my Little Nole, Landon, will be cheering for the Noles also. (He has the tomohawk chop down!) So, fight, fight, fight for FSU, you gotta scalp 'em Seminoles!

GO NOLES!

Click here for the full FSU Football Schedule

Once Upon a Time....

We're Going to Disney World!!!!

It's official... we're going to Disney World! The reservations are confirmed, the tickets are purchased and in just a few months we will be off to Orlando to visit Mickey Mouse in Disney World! Can't wait!!!

And don't worry... there will be a ton of photos.

4th of July Weekend

It was another fabulous weekend for both Landon and I. We went to visit Grandpa Max on the 4th and he really enjoyed seeing Landon and Landon enjoyed the visit as well. Landon is always a hit when we visit the long-term care facility where my Dad is staying. All of the residents love him and even the nurses too. He gets all sort of treats and hugs and he eats them both up.

Then we were headed to the water park in Niceville, which ended up being closed! :-( So, we headed to the Navarre water park and Landon splashed around in the Sound for a while. By the way, don't judge our "most beautiful beaches" by the photo. This was the Sound and not the Gulf and the seaweed was everywhere this time of year. Landon didn't care!

Then on Saturday evening we went to Landon's Godparent's house to watch some fireworks. However, a pretty good storm cancelled the fireworks but that didn't bother Landon either. We saw the most beautiful sunset, saw an awesome lightning show, and got to hang out with friends and family. What could possibly be better than that?

Little Big Man - 40"/40 lbs.

Landon is now 40" tall and weighs 40 pounds! That's 3'4" tall. Hard to believe. When he was born he was 20.5" long and an even 7 pounds and so very tiny. He seems to grow more and more everyday. His father told me that you are supposed to take their height and double it at this age and that is how tall they will be. Well, that would mean Landon would be a whopping 6'8" tall. Now, I'm all for Landon being a tall boy but I was hoping for more along the lines of 6'1"-6'3". Either way, I'm pretty sure he is going to be a tall boy and will someday tower over his Mommy. He is already one of the tallest kids in his class at day care and he is one of the youngest (he recently was moved up to a new room!) Another plus to the his height is he now meets the height requirement to go on more rides at Disney World so hopefully when we go in October he will WANT to ride more rides.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL AND PLEASE REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE AND CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM!

C-Rod Baby Bump Watch

It has finally arrived!!!! Cathy has the most adorable little baby bump! So much to look forward to in the next few months and I can't wait to hear about all of it. (There better be photos as well!) Know that we all love and miss you here in FWB and look forward to watching your belly grow!