Top Golf

Instead of the usual get together for lunch for a friend's birthday...

Robin, Regina and I decided to go to Top Golf.

Top Golf provides everything you could ask for when it comes to celebrating a birthday. It's just like being at the driving range only cooler with food and drinks.

We even had complimentary donut holes to celebrate the birthday girl. Happy Birthday Regina!

After golf, I went shopping with Melissa and the kids and Violet got some new pj's. I'm not sure if they were her favorite but they sure were mine. We got the pajamas at Justice. Violet saw this store while surfing the internet and insisted on going. While it may not have the best in clothing, if you need to get stocking stuffers for young girls, this is the place to go. At least it's on my list for Christmas shopping!

Hazel's First Shots

I'm so glad Melissa isn't one of those mothers who doesn't like to get their babies immunized. I know it's a very controversial issue and I'm glad not many people see my blog.

While Hazel may look pretty happy to be at the pediatrician, her attitude changed once that needle went into her leg. But she survived and was back to laughing soon after. By the way, I still cry when I get shots!

Tree Trimming and Popsicles

As Violet and Lincoln get older, it's a little easier to get them to help me with things around the house...and a little surprising.

There were a few weeds in my landscaping so we walked around the house to pull the intruding weeds. Violet and Lincoln even got under the deck for those pesky plants.

Then Violet went around the yard and watered all my plants while Lincoln and I sprayed a little weed killer.

Meanwhile, Jamie was trimming low hanging branches on the front and back yard trees.

I'm not the only one dragging limbs to the front yard. Violet pitched in and we had those few branches to the front in no time.

We had to take a couple of breaks...

But the best break was popsicles at the end. If anyone is looking for a hard working landscaper, just contact me and I'll give you Violet's number. She's a real champ when it comes to helping Ma!

4 Month Old Hazel

It's hard to believe this little girl turned 4 months old.

She's such a happy baby and I don't think she cries very often.

She's discovered her feet and putting them in her mouth takes up most of her free activity time.

Violet and Lincoln still enjoy her. That's probably because she's still too little to mess with their toys. I'll be surprised if Hazel doesn't develop a little shudder as she gets older. Violet and Lincoln get so close to her face and sneak up on her that she tends to jump a bit. But what a beautiful family. I'm so lucky!

Activity Center

Hazel loves her new activity center.

I think her favorite is finding herself in the mirror. With so many things to choose from, it's hard to decide which one to focus on. Man, she's growing up fast!

Dog Sitting While the Kids Enjoy the Lake

While I was watched Lola and Khloe.....

Melissa, Jamie, Violet, Lincoln and Hazel made a trip to the lake.

Lola and Khloe are really very easy to watch if you don't count the excessive number of walks they want to take. The staring while I eat and the barking in the evening while their other furry friends take a stroll past the house.

After checking out their room and deciding on sleeping arrangements, it was off shopping, eating, feeding fish and a trip to Miner Mikes.

Lincoln's getting braver with the water and tried his skills on - do you call this a paddle boat? Whatever, it's still better than being stuck at home with the dogs.

Violet Loses Another Tooth

Boy, when those teeth start falling out, it seems like they never stop.

Poor Violet lost another tooth and it's starting to affect her speech. Little bit of a lisp going on. I hope the other ones come in quick before she has nothing left to chew her Chick-Fil-A!

Hazel's First Trip to the Pool

While I was gone, Hazel had her first experience with swimming.

I'm not sure whether she enjoyed the water or the escape from the heat.

Violet loves the water and isn't afraid to try anything, even jumping off the diving board.

Lincoln is getting braver and finally went down the slide. Maybe one day Jamie and Melissa will be able to afford a pool of their own!

Western Caribbean Cruise

I can check off another trip for 2019.

My friends, Debbie and Robin, met me in Fort Lauderdale the day before we anxiously boarded our ship for our 7 day Western Caribbean cruise.

I think ships are getting better with the boarding process. Either that or we're getting to the pier at the right moment to check in and walk right onto the ship. As soon as we boarded, we headed to the buffet for food. What is it about cruising and eating? They seem to go hand in hand.

Then it was off to the sail away party for drinks and exploration of the ship.

After a day at sea, our first stop was Roatan, Honduras. I've been to the Western Caribbean before and absolutely don't remember it being so impoverished. We were told there was better shopping that would take us about 5 minutes to walk to. So off we went only to find the area kept getting poorer and poorer. A cab driver pulled up next to us and said he knew of a great place to shop. Since we were all 3 together and he spoke English very well, we figured we'd be safe. But when he turned onto a dirt road, all our eyes bugged out of our heads. He was actually taking us through his village where he grew up before taking us to the shopping mall. He was so proud of these run down shacks. We finally convinced him to take us to the mall which wasn't much better.

I was able to find a rather decent commemorative shirt. Oh, and the mall, just one store but at least it was air conditioned. Our cab driver did wait for us, thank goodness, and suggested other areas to explore. I kept saying "No" to every suggestion he made. We finally made it back to the pier and I would have run back to the ship but I was having knee problems. But I was limping back at a rather fast rate of speed.

Our next stop was Belize which was even worse than Honduras. I was so disappointed, I didn't even take one picture. I was able to find my Belize shirt which I wore while walking around Costa Maya - another disappointing port.

Now Cozumel was a different story. Plenty of fun stores and restaurants. You'll have to excuse my grubby clothes. The weather was so hot and humid that I couldn't bear wearing anything other than sleeveless tops and flip flops. Our last day was at sea. By this time I was so disappointed with the entire cruise I didn't even think of taking any more pictures. While the company was great, I believe this is my last cruise to the Western Caribbean. My next cruise is in February through the Panama Canal. Fingers crossed it will be much better.