Shayna & Skyler's World

Surf Camp

2008-11-02T19:57:00.006-05:00

This summer for 2 different weeks (one in July one in August) Shayna went to "surf camp." It was run by "Skeeter (a professional surfer) and sponsored by Roxy and Quicksilver. It was held at Red Reef Park in Boca every day from 9am-3pm.

Here is Shayna in her Roxy gear: Roxy bathing suit, with matching rash guard top, Roxy backpack, Roxy flip flops and Abercrombie shorts:

we bought all the Roxy stuff before we knew it was sponsored by Roxy.

here are the tents that were thier "base" on the beach:

Shayna waiting for a wave, below. The red splotches behind her are the reef, one of our favorite snorkeling spots.

Shayna surfing:

She really liked the camp. They did some other fun activities, like snorkeling, dodge ball, and tubing behind jet skis.

Chickee Sandwich

2008-11-02T19:41:00.002-05:00

Over the summer Skyler started eating sandwiches. He likes when I cut them out with a cookie cutter in different shapes. Connie calls the turkey or ham she feeds to Skye & China "chickee" so of course Skyler calls deli meats "chickee" also.

Also, Skyler eats better when its either Connie or his Aunt Christy that is feeding him. or when motivated by a toy.

Sponge

2008-11-02T19:36:00.002-05:00

One of the times we went out fishing, we found this sponge. Skyler liked it:

Turtle Walk

2008-11-02T19:22:00.003-05:00

On June 11th we went to the "turtle walk" at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca. It starts around 9pm, with an educational turtle talk in one of the classrooms. While this is occuring, the turtle experts are riding up and down the 3 miles or so of Boca beaches looking for any mommy turtles that come ashore to lay thier eggs. if they spot any, they radio Gumbo Limbo to let them know and tell them where. then everyone at the talk gets in thier cars and caravans over to the spot. there is not always a turtle sighting. Luckily, on our night there was! It was at Red Reef Park. We had to run from the car after parking to keep up...as everyone wanted to get there quickly to see the turtle before she finishes laying her eggs. You walk along the water line until you get to the turtle. She was closer to the dunes. We got to get up RIGHT next to the turtle! We arrived just in time to see her laying the very last of the eggs. then we watched for maybe another 20-30 minutes as she buried and disguised the nest. Eventually she turned around and made her way back to the ocean and she mysteriously disappeared as she swam away.

This was a loggerhead turtle, the most common type spotted in this region. After she swam away, we saw two more turtles nesting nearby! One was a less common green turtle...you are not allowed to go near them as they nest.

First Day of School

2008-08-18T22:29:00.003-04:00

Today was the first day of school for both Shayna and Skyler.

Shayna is in 6th grade at Omni Middle School. http://www.omnimiddle.org/

We went to the open house Thursday night and she got her schedule, bought her gym clothes, and we walked around campus to find all her classes. She has 6 classes located in various buildings all connected with outdoor covered walkways. She took the bus in the morning and I picked her up at the end (they get out at 4:05PM). Her classes all have syllabuses. She has gifted world cultures, gifted science, then lunch, band, gifted math, P.E., and gifted language arts. I contacted the guidance counselor to see about getting her into the algebra 1 honors class...she will be tested later this week. more details about the individual classes in the future...although overall I am extremely impressed with the curriculum. finally-- challenging and enriching course work for shayna. also more details on intramurals/clubs...so far shayna wants to try out for cheerleading but that is not until Nov. or Dec.

Skyler started pre-K at Discovery preschool. he is going full time. he is in the Mickey class in the morning from 9am-1:30pm. In the afternoon is the "VPK" program from 2:30pm-5:30pm, he is in the Donald class. The time from 1:30-2:20 can be free time (centers) or enrichments. Skyler will do karate on Mondays, Computers on Thursdays, and Spanish on Fridays. I am enrolling him in swimming for one of the other days. There is an outdoor pool there and a swim school. They will get him to swim lesson, changed and then back to his VPK class. He will also get the specials in the morning program of spanish once a week, sign language, music, gym, and media. I enrolled him full time but don't intend on having him there until 5:30pm most days. I will pick up Shayna first and then go pick him up...so he will get picked up anywhere from 4:30 to 5pm depending how the car line goes at Shayna's school, traffic, etc. The curriculum there has writing, math, calendar, money, science, reading (learning sight words, word families etc.). His Mickey class is small, about 10 kids, so I asked his teacher to work with him on his reading, as he knows all his letter sounds and is starting to read.

School is closed Tuesday due to Tropical storm Fay which is hitting this area as a rainstorm with high winds.

Snorkeling

2008-08-15T19:31:00.000-04:00

We went to Red Reef Park today in Boca around low tide. This is one of our favorite spots to snorkel and look around the rocks/reefs.

Skyler snorkeled today and did so well, unfortunately we did not have the under water camera but use your imagination. He was swimming around on his own and kept his head down in the water for very long periods of time. Since it was low tide there was a large area where he could stand, although at times he would swim out a bit further. He loves looking at all the crabs and colorful fish.

4 year old check up

2008-08-14T20:37:00.002-04:00

Skyler had his 4 year old check up today. here are his stats:

Height= 41" (75%)

Weight= 40.2 lbs. (80%)

His speech seems to have caught up and the Dr. said he was talking at his age level and in complete sentences.

Goodbye Sippy Cup

2008-08-12T22:36:00.000-04:00

About 2 weeks ago Skyler decided he only wanted to drink from a regular cup and not the sippy cup.

on a side note, I know I am 3 or so months behind on this blog, life has been insanely busy (even too busy for blogging oh my)...and will really try and catch up on our excitingly busy lives and what we have been up to the last few months.

Conch

2008-07-15T21:00:00.003-04:00

Look what we found in the lake bottom!

That is a real live conch. There were hundreds of them in the lake bottom. Skyler thought they were so neat!

Note: Lake Boca is not a true lake, it is just called lake Boca but leads right out into the ocean and is part of the intracoastal.

Beach and Boating

2008-07-15T20:26:00.003-04:00

Over Memorial Day weekend Skyler had fun with Miranda.

they got to play on the beach:

and enjoyed a fun boat ride to Lake Boca. We joined the yacht club, and this day we were out on the 28' boat that has an inside and a generator for AC.

when Skyler and Miranda are together thye are always having fun and laughing:

Dan Zanes

2008-07-15T20:13:00.003-04:00

In May we had to fly back to Philadelphia at short notice so I could go to a meeting. While there we went to the Kimmel Center to see Dan Zanes in concert. dan Zanes videos are played on the Disney channel on Playhouse Disney. Skyler did his first ever rush up to the front at a concert. Here he is after starting a circle dancing with some kids:

Check out his website for more info. on Dan Zanes:
http://www.danzanes.com

FCAT results!

2008-06-27T01:14:00.004-04:00

Your Student's 2008 FCAT Reading Score

Level 5=2059 - 2713
Shayna scored 2103

On grade level=1510

Level 4=1762 - 2058

Level 3=1510 - 1761

Level 2=1342 - 1509

Level 1=474 - 1341

Your student's FCAT Score is 2103, which is in achievement Level 5 for Reading.

The FCAT Score shows your student's achievement on the day he or she was tested. If your student were to take this same test again, it is likely that his or her Spring 2008 FCAT Reading Score would be between 1974 and 2232.

Your Student's 2008 FCAT Mathematics Score

Level 5=1957 - 2456
Shayna scored:2225

On grade level=1632

Level 4=1769 - 1956

Level 3=1632 - 1768

Level 2=1452 - 1631

Level 1=569 - 1451

Your student's FCAT Score is 2225, which is in achievement Level 5 for Mathematics.

The FCAT Score shows your student's achievement on the day he or she was tested. If your student were to take this same test again, it is likely that his or her Spring 2008 FCAT Mathematics Score would be between 2093 and 2357.

Level 5 is the highest level, and what is required if she wants to get into Algebra 1 Honors in 6th grade, if she takes this class in 7th grade she needs level 5 FCATS again. Shayna can take the algebra test (needs 95% or higher) and try to get in for 6th grade (typically only 1-2 6th graders do this) but as of now she is planning to try to take it in 7th grade. Its a high school credit class.

They also got the NRT FCAT scores, which compares them to other children nationally. Shayna got a 98 reading and 99 math (99 being the highest possible.) Her stanine scores were 9 (highest). This basically means she is in the top 1% in the nation compared with other 5th graders.

Mothers Day Show

2008-06-22T20:33:00.002-04:00

The Wed. before mothers day, all the moms from Skyler's Elmo class were invited to see the mothers day show and then enjoy a delicious brunch. It was the cutest thing! as you can see, they did a beach theme, and we were told to bring beach towels to sit on. at the end of the show we were given gorgeous gifts they had made...I'll have to photograph it at a later time.

Some videos of the show. They were all sooo cute, it was the sweetest thing!! This will melt your heart.

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvZLTm7oiEA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97WZMlJ5YRw

Mango's South Beach - Video

2008-06-22T20:07:00.002-04:00

Click here to see a really cute video of Skyler and Miranda dancing at Mango's in South Beach. The singer of the band cane down and joined them! Note, this was during the late afternoon hence no one else on the dance floor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb1EwR7WWl8

South Beach, Miami

2008-06-16T23:46:00.006-04:00

After the Britto event we went over to South Beach for the rest of the day/evening.

First we had lunch at an outdoor cafe right on Ocean Drive:

This is a moment right out of alice in wonderland- Skyler and Miranda in Mangoes:

There was a band right to thier left, and just after this photo was taken they had a blast dancing. we only stayed for one song.

after walking for a while, we found this cute little "coffee" shop. I thought the decor was sooo cool. I love finding places like this you would never know about unless you stumble into it.

Our last stop on the south beach "tour" was the Delano. A really cool chic place. there were other kids romping around on the grass by the giant chessboard and hammocks. The pool area going towards the beach has giant "beds" to lounge on...I guess the ultimate in luxury?

Isn't it pretty? see the private cabanas across the pool- they are stocked including flat screen TVs.

We took a taxi back from here to where the car was parked...Skyler and Miranda thought that was so much fun. They were giggling the entire time. It was Skyler's first taxi ride.

Carnival

2008-06-15T21:43:00.004-04:00

Sometime in April, there was a little carnival in West Boca. We met Luke and his mom and baby sister at TGI Fridays which was next to the carnival. as usual boca style, even TGI Fridays breaks thier red and white awning rule (even in London it had the awning- typical Fridays design). Instead, a spanish style single building...I took the pic to show the nice scenery and caught Luke pouting, he didn't want to sit:

Skyler and Luke on the roller coaster, look how happy they are:

another ride:

Moorhen Babies

2008-06-15T21:30:00.002-04:00

In early April, the Moorhens that live in the canal behind our house had babies:

Shortly after I began observing them and taking photos, a hawk began to stalk them, but was unsuccessful as the mom and dad defended the babies. It was quite a loud scene.

Note: these photos/events occured before they moved the canal...but the Moorhens are still living in the canal.

Brave Boy

2008-04-26T22:30:00.002-04:00

In early April, Skyler saw the allergist for the first time. He ordered bloodwork. Skyler was very brave when getting his blood drawn, and only shed ONE tear. Afterwards, we took him to Hoffmans chocolates and ice cream shop for home made ice cream and a chocolate treat. here is what he picked:

You can see the bandage from where the blood was drawn and also based on his shirt, he must have painted in school that day.

Still trying to figure out his allergy status, as the bloodwork was negative, but they need to do the skin prick testing which is more thorough. so far after 2 attempts for various reasons he has not gotten the skin testing. They have him taking singulair and pataday eye drops. skyler saw the eye doctor on 4/25 and he said it looks like an ocular allergy and to try using eye drop tears a few times a day for a few weeks and see if that helps.

Florida Activities

2008-03-17T22:02:00.002-04:00

We have been taking full advantage of the Florida lifestyle. Here are some of the activities we have been doing lately:

1. Manny and I get our cardio exercise by walking on the beach. During high tide this can be quite the work out!

2. This past weekend went to the beach for the day. Physical activity included a beach walk, swimming, and riding the surf on the boogie board.

3. Fishing and chumming out on the ocean on our boat, then anchoring near the beach for a swim.

4. Skyler rode his tricycle out on our cul de sac. He is able to ride a tricycle now, thanks to playground time at school.

5. We played tennis Monday evening. Shayna and Skyler got thier own rackets. We went to just ONE of the many available free tennis locations in Boca.

6. Shayna and I went roller blading at our spot, which is along A1A on the path by Spanish River Park in North Boca with an awesome view of the ocean.

7. I even snuck in some family geocaching, last weekend, at Tradewinds Park.

The Guy

2008-03-09T23:23:00.005-04:00

There are these homeless guys that stand in a few intersections of central boca asking for money. It seems to be somewhat organized as they have shirts. usually they have a hand scrawn sign that says something like "help me...I'm hungry." I find them extremely annoying and avoid eye contact because if you even glance thier way they pounce. not that I am against helping the homeless, I don't think having them panhandle is the best idea. also, I don't mind giving them food, because we all know where the money goes.

shayna and I bought these 'cookies' called O'cocos or something weird like that and we didn't like them. so instead of throwing them out, I said, lets put them in the car and next time we drive by the homeless guy we will give them to him. manny made some comments about how this was akin to the seinfeld episode where they got the muffin bottoms.well it happens that coincidentally the day of or before we put the cookies in the car something happened and Boca kicked the panhandling guys out...apparently they were too aggressive and disobeying the rules, harassing drivers, etc. so no homeless guy/s. we have been driving around for the last few days with the cookies in the back seat.

today we were on our way to the park and manny was hungry and asked for the cookies. skyler said "you can't have them, they're for the guy." the thing is, we didn't know he was paying attention when shayna and I were talking about this.

Later we went through McDonalds drive through and there was a panhandling Muscovy duck (these are the big ducks with reddish faces) right in the lane where you drive through. So we threw him some cookies and he ate them.

Ballet in Boca

2008-03-03T22:48:00.002-05:00

The Boca Festival of the Arts is going on now until March 16th in Mizner Park. Its a series of cultural events and concerts.

Tonight they had a free ballet by Chopin so we took the kids for a little culture. It was such a pleasant experience. They covered the outdoor ampitheater with an elaborate structure (not a tent). They have folding chairs (normally at the ampitheater you bring your own chairs) and there was a little bar with not only drinks (beer, wine, etc.) but snacks. So we settled down for the show with a chardonnay, bottle of water, and white cheddar popcorn. In some way it reminded me of an extremely upscale version of the "casino" nightclub in peekskill, NY at my grandpa Leon's bungalow (they had a snack bar there). They had those wooden folding chairs there too and "cultural" entertainment. Before the ballet they showed a movie about Degas (the Boca art museum, next to the ampitheater, has an exhibit of Degas statues running currently). the ballet was beautiful and perfectly executed, and while skyler may have rather watched micky mouse at least he now knows what the ballet is.

Skyler's Friend

2008-02-27T22:09:00.004-05:00

Skyler has a friend named Luke from school who we meet for playdates sometimes.

This was at Sugar Sand Park, somehow they just "posed" for this photo:

we went on a nature walk at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, or rather a nature RUN. This is pretty much how Luke's mom and I saw them the entire walk as we yelled "stop!" and "don't run!"

They enjoyed climbing on this giant coral rock:

we also stopped at the beach and they ran around and stopped at the intracoastal side of red reef where they rolled down a grassy hill. we went to dinner at mizner park and they were throwing coins into the fountains (we got the much coveted table next to the fountains) when Luke said "take our picture!"

VPK Certificate

2008-02-23T22:48:00.002-05:00

I had to go to the library in Boca to get the VPK certificate (more on that below), so I brought Shayna and Skyler with me, since Skyler had a birthday party to go to and the library was on the way. Shayna wanted to go because she loves the library. Here they are in the "teen room" which is in the back of the childrens section. There are computers and internet access.

The VPK certificate is to enroll your child in a voluntary pre kindergarten class/preschool. The state pays for preschool under this program, and pays for 3 hours per day of instruction or about $2600 for the year. You need to go through the state agency which is in west palm beach and apply for the "certificate" which you then give to the preschool your child will attend for pre-K. So you need to get this now for Fall 2008. They come out to various locations at different dates to make it easier (not have to go all the way to west palm), and they were in Boca today. It does take a while and there were a lot of people (had no idea there were this many future pre-K kids!). It wasn't too bad, they give you a number so you don't have to stand in line. I was #140. Oddly enough, even though you could go inside the library, most people were standing in line OUTSIDE the library in the heat. For me the time went so fast, as I was inside the kids section. We found a few good kids books. Diary of a Wimpy Kid=probably the funniest kids book I have ever read! I highly recommend getting it from the library.

Writing Names

2008-02-15T22:55:00.002-05:00

Both Skyler and his cousin Sam did a great job writing thier own names on thier Valentines:

Getting Ready for School

2008-02-11T18:21:00.002-05:00

As per the normal morning routine, after dropping off Shayna to school, I come home and get Skyler ready for school.

I ask him to get dressed, which means put on his clean underwear, shorts, and a shirt.A few minutes later, he comes out with 3 shirts on one on top of the other, with the original (dirty) shirt on the bottom. So I say, noooo you need to go back and put on ONE shirt. Of course he giggles because he did this on purpose to be funny.

He goes back, and comes out a few minutes later. This time I notice he has on 2 pairs of shorts, one on top of the other. Again, I send him back to put on ONE pair of shorts.

Now its time for me to help him get ready in the bathroom. I call him over and hear approaching footsteps. I notice there are quite a LOT of footsteps. I look outside the bathroom, and Skyler is a few feet from the bathroom door stepping in place!

Learning to Read

2008-02-10T19:14:00.004-05:00

I got Skyler a new set of early reading books Friday at Barnes & Noble. he doesn't like the "Bob" books (we still had the 2 sets from Shayna, hardly used). I got him level 1 of a program of phonics called "Now I'm Reading!" Level 1 is called Animal Antics, the series is written by Nora Gaydos. The set comes with 10 phonics books all contained within a bigger binder type book, a parent guide and stickers. The 10 books progress in skill level. When they read the book completely on thier own, they get a sticker. Skyler knows all his letters and sounds, and we have been working with him on some sight words, spelling, and some phonics. he is really enjoying book 1 so far. Its called "Fat Cat." he is almost at the point of earning his sticker.

Treasure Hunting

2008-02-09T19:21:00.000-05:00

we did another form of treasure hunting today: yard sales.

Going to yard sales is a lot of fun. You get to check out different neighborhoods and streets (here are so many in Boca) and become more familiar with the roads, since you go to places not in your normal routine (in this regard it is similar to geocaching).

It is also a challenge to find things you need and things you may not need but want, all at a great bargain. You also can find things you can't find in the stores and that is one thing I like.

We went to a total of 10 yard sales all in Boca Raton. Our main goal was to furnish the art studio (bookcase/s, big wooden table or desk, art books, supplies). I also was looking for a trunk to use as a dress up trunk for the kids. Here is what we wound up getting:

1. Trunk, vintage style, painted a beige/bone color: $3

2. Desk height light wood bookcase, like new: $3

3. set of 6 jars for using with painting: $2

4. Playstation 2 pirate game BRAND NEW: $4

5. Hugs board book: 10 cents

6. Silly 6 pins game with batteries: $3

7. 3 rubbermaid containers to use as geocaches: $1

As per tradition, afterwards we went to the breakfast place near our house, and had delicious omelettes, pancakes, and banana cinnamin french toast.

Shayna's Birthday Celebration - Part 3

2008-02-04T22:52:00.000-05:00

We went back to Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale to pick up our art pieces and to go out to dinner. We now know the best place to park, right behind Joe Picasso's. There is a neat little "secret" walkway/alleyway to go from the parking lot to where the the art place is. Its really pretty with stone/stucco and gorgeous fountains in the walls and wrought iron details.

Inside Joe Picasso's, some of the details. There is a giant tree:

Part of the studio where you do the painting. Notice the cool chandeliers:

we got our finished art pieces. Skyler is proud of his fish:

Shayna and her mermaid. It looks great in her room:

Manny and the mug he made for Shayna, also holding the mezuzah I made:

The coffee parlor. Great comfy couches and chairs, and wifi. They sell coffee, various snacks, desserts, and ice cream here.

we had a delicious relaxing dinner outside at the crepe place, across the street from Joe Picasso's. we had a delicious escargot casserole as an appetizer, it was sooo good. We had dinner crepes (yum) and then shared a scrumptious dessert crepe. The food here is the best.

view from our table:

after dinner we took a walk and looked in an art gallery- one of which is the same gallery that we went in with my parents in Delray. we were showing her all the classic rock pieces/photos and discussing all the artists (don't want shayna being clueless) and how Led Zeppelin is going on tour again.

when we drove home, we went east down to A1A by the beach, then north along A1A and west to 95 for the scenery. we had a good time and rolled down the window and opened the rooftop, screaming and laughing like we were on spring break and being silly.

World Cultures

2008-01-27T23:22:00.000-05:00

We went to an event in downtown West Palm today called "kaleidoscope." It was like a mini Epcot, with different schools (mainly middle schools) putting out mini countries with exhibits, activities, walk throughs etc. It was so well done and very creative! Shayna's future middle school, Omni, had Australia. We found out that she can take part in this by joining a club. Skyler slept the entire time we were here.

in front of the philippines:

Guatemala:

There were so many countries including Israel, Germany, France and Italy. Italy had a nice elaborate set up, with a gondala out front, a little bridge to walk over, kids in costume greeting you handing you things, a leaning tower of pisa, the sistine chapel ceiling. the cutest thing was a girl I call the huggy girl who was dressed as a white statue. she asked for a hug as you walked into the exhibit area. after we came out, I told Manny he should go in, and I watched as he walked by her quickly in the other direction ignoring her, and she chased him down for a hug.

Visitors so far

2008-01-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

We went to Las Olas Blvd. tonight in Fort Lauderdale to meet up with an old friend of mine, Brian Cohen. We had a nice dinner and walked around. Brian went to the same high school as me and graduated in 1984. He was passing through on his way to south beach Miami and Key West.

Our other visitors:

Jami and her husband Chris came by in late November. We showed them the house and sat out back by the canal and then went out to Max's grille in Mizner Park Boca and walked around. They were on thier way to Coral Springs and then the Keys.

Our first visitors were my parents over Thanksgiving.

We're looking forward to more visitors...come on over to paradise!

Fishing on the ocean in Boca

2008-01-25T21:16:00.000-05:00

While Skyler and I were at the beach, Manny and Shayna were fishing on the boat. They went out on the ocean as it was very calm. They went up to the spot close to where we were at the beach, which was in the southern part of Boca (south beach). I was able to see the boat from the beach with the binoculars, and then took these photos using the zoom on the camera:

Here is a photo Manny took with his cell phone. I did Shayna's hair in a medium high ponytail (high is next to impossible) and she really likes it this way rather than just at her neck.

Tidepool

2008-01-24T23:23:00.000-05:00

I took Skyler to south beach Boca today after preschool, while Manny and Shayna went out fishing on the boat (she had a half day). It was a really nice day, warmer than normal for January (according to the parents I talked to who have lived here a long time). There was a really nice big tidepool and Skyler had a blast playing in it:

when we first got there, there were 2 little girls, Anna, age 7 and Madeleine, age 3 (4 in march). Anna is in 1st grade at Del Prado (same as Shayna). I was talking to thier mom, Susan, about the preschool that I will probably be sending Skyler to in the fall for his pre-K year, the Professional Learning Center. Her daughter Anna went there for pre-K and she thinks that Madeleine may go there in the fall for pre-K also. So they may be in school together for pre-K. I was glad I met her, as I have not met anyone with personal experience with the school, and she said it was very good. We were discussing the "pre-K plus" program, which is more hours per day than just the VPK program. The state pays for what is called VPK- voluntary pre kindergarten, but the catch is they only pay for 3 hours per day and/or about $2500/year. So if you want the 4.5 hour class you pay a little extra after they subtract the state money from tuition.

Below, Madeleine (pronounced mad-a-lynn) in red and her sister Anna and Skyler:

The girls left, and like magic a brother and sister appeared and played with Skyler. David, age 5, was snorkeling in the tidepool. How cute, double click on the photo:

David and his sister, Lauren, age 6. Skyler really wanted to use her blue shovel, so she was nice and used his purple shovel. Lauren is in kindergarten at Addison Mizner (the other elementary school I was/am considering, its more east).

Later, 2 brothers, Jonas, age 5, and Luca, age 3 arrived and enjoyed the tidepool and some boogie boarding. Skyler and I had met them about a week before, the last time we were at south beach. Jonas knows Lauren from Addison Mizner, not sure if they are in the same K class or not. Notice the tide is coming into the tidepool.

we stayed until the sky started turning pink, then all three parents and kids left the beach at the same time.

Skyler vs. Yo Yo

2008-01-15T23:21:00.000-05:00

Skyler won. Here is what happened to the yo yo:

A toy has to be made very sturdy to survive Skyler. Also, he is already showing skills in reverse engineering.

Skyler in a Box

2008-01-10T22:25:00.000-05:00

anytime there is a box, Skyler will enjoy sitting in it:

New kid K'nex

2008-01-09T22:05:00.000-05:00

Skyler got another Kid K'nex set from Uncle Mike and Aunt Christy for Christmas. he got his first one for his birthday from them. He really loves this. he is getting good at following the examples in the brochure. You can see him playing with both sets:

Now he has been showing us the brochure that came with the set, pointing to the kits he does not have yet, saying he "needs them." Its the first time he ever made a point to ask for a toy.

he also got a leapfrog card game/s from uncle mike and aunt christy, so he got to play his first card game. he really likes saying "go fish."

Alligator Egg

2008-01-08T21:53:00.000-05:00

Skyler got an alligator egg from Shayna for Christmas. She gave the same egg to cousin Sam for his birthday.

Skyler really was excited about the egg, and after it was put into the water wanted to check it every five minutes:

It took about 12-24 hours for some cracks to show, and then eventually it looked like this, below, and over a day or two an arm, then head, etc. would pop out.

here is the alligator after he hatched:

Rutherford Park

2008-01-04T19:59:00.000-05:00

After leaving the childrens musuem, we went to Rutherford Park to take a walk on the boardwalk trail winding through the mangroves and along the intracoastal. This park is on the west side of the intracoastal, opposite of the Gumbo Limbo park on the opposite side of the intracoastal waterway and also in Boca Raton.

You can see the mangrove roots in this photo. I couldn't get Shayna and Skyler to pose so this is the best shot I got:

Baby Fish

2007-12-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, Shayna was cleaning out the tank (a rare occasion) and noticed a baby fish! We started out with 3 fish and now we have 4 fish in the tank. These are the fish we got from the canal. They turned out to be very hardy and adaptive. They eat the same food as the turtle.

Christmas Homer

2007-12-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

This is our favorite christmas decoration, in front of a neighbors house that we pass coming and going from our house:

Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

here is our Floridian holiday tree. yes, they do sell real trees here in Florida, and they are easy to find for sale, same as up north, in parking lots and along roadsides. I like the way the tree looks at night with all the lights out, all pretty and sparkling. its a bit different this year since it is not bringing life into a desolate winter, since we have life here year round. so its more for the tradition. its nice going through the ornaments and bringing back all the memories. here it is in our living room:

another view looking back into the house...you can see the "office" to the right and behind the wall with bookcases is the kitchen. I really like the wide open house floor plan.

Tidal Wave

2007-12-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

We went out on the boat tonight to look at Christmas lights on the houses along the intracoastal. It was very pretty and a very different way to enjoy the holiday lights, which we have seen by car but never by boat.

On the return trip, I was driving the boat (I need to learn how to run the boat in case of an emergency). A really big boat went by goig VERY fast. this was just an inconsiderate boater, as it was not only nighttime and dark but it was obvious there was a small boat in its path. I did what manny said and went through its wake at 45 degrees, but the wake was too huge and a HUGE wave came up over the bow of the boat. The wave completely soaked poor Skyler and almost completely soaked Shayna and Manny. They were all wearing long pants and hoodies, but still had to go the rest of the trip soaking wet.

It also soaked my beachbag, which was sitting on the front seat open, as we were eating munchies from the bag. when we got home I tried to salvage all the electronics that were in the bag. My cellphone: needed to dry out but battery was fine the next day. the binoculars: needed to dry out, now it is fine. Digital camera: next day was christmas eve day and the camera repair shop had no tech's working, so had to wait until the day after christmas (wed.). By them the salt had corroded the inside and it was ruined. memory SD card: dried it out for one day and it was fine.

Future boating: use water proof bag, keep bag away from front of boat, keep bag zipped shut, and use waterproof camera preferably. also when going over a wake you need to speed up.

Holiday Show and Party at Skyler's School

2007-12-19T20:07:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the holiday show and party for the Elmo class at Skyler's preschool (Discovery Preschool) here in Boca Raton. First was the show, which was in the gym.

here is Skyler with his classmates on the stage:

They were presents! It was soooo cute! here is Skyler dancing around. isn't he the best present ever?

After the show, we went to his Elmo classroom for their holiday party. They had sandwich platters for the parents. all the food was brought in by the parents, as you know we did the cupcakes.

Click on these links to see 3 short videos of the show:

1. this is the beginning when Skyler was walking, or rather JUMPING in. what a grand entrance!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fozv_C6aUE0

2. This is the second video, it is when they were singing "Jingle Bells" with bells:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-tr_jAKIO0

3. Third video, they were dancing to the Madonna celebrate song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylKElRrfyIA

Memories

2007-12-12T18:28:00.001-05:00

Shayna got this poster from the Morikami Museum in Boca when we first moved here. I thought it would make a good place to put the various stickers she gets as a memento. I suggested she also glue on things like ticket stubs, but those she has placed on the wall above her desk. The stickers all tell a story. There is the Radio Disney and Miami Heat, which we got at an event in Miami, the Vote for Carissa- when Carissa was running for President in Del Prado 5th grade, the Science Expo stickers, the 100 foot christmas tree in Delray, and the fish she made from the boat show fishing clinic:

Skyler has his own version of a sticker memory collection as well. I had him put them on his bureau, as it is very old. In fact, its MY old bureau from when I was a child, and I used to put stickers on it. Skyler tends to rip them off or rearrange them, so a few have been lost/ruined/torn apart. His collection is slightly different, and he has the uber cool "Britto" stickers from the Britto gallery in South Beach, Miami.

Shayna's Photography

2007-12-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

There were west winds on Monday, so Shayna and Manny went out boating on the ocean. West winds make for perfect boating conditions when coupled with low windspeed. When you get these conditions the ocean and intercoastal are really flat and calm. It doesn't occur very often, so boaters like to go out whenever they happen. Shayna was using the digital camera I usually use, and practicing her photography skills. I think she did pretty good! I chose what I thought were the best out of the 50 or so she took.

The first is out on the ocean, looking back towards the coastline of Boca Raton with the sun starting to set:

This was along the intracoastal:

pretty pink clouds:

Intracoastal heading south during sunset:

Sugar Sand Park Playground

2007-12-03T22:58:00.000-05:00

I took Skyler to the big playground at Sugar Sand Park in the late afternoon/early evening hours while Shayna and Manny went out on the boat. For the first time, they had the water play area running. Skyler had a blast playing there:

Behind him to the left you can see part of the "aquarium." after the water play I took him to one of the sections of this huge playground, that I call the barn. Skyler rode in the baby swing (he still fits in) and then played the bells. I thought it would close at dusk, as it usually does, but it didn't today, so the only way I could get him to leave was to tell him I'd take him to McDonalds. He said we will get "chicken nuggets, shake, fries, and coffee."

Little Wonders Nature Class

2007-11-26T22:28:00.000-05:00

Skyler went to the nature class for 3-4 year olds at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton today, taught by Julia Gonzalez. It was a great class and Skyler really enjoyed it, unfortunately it was the last one (although 1st for Skyler, this class is held twice monthly/same class) because Ms. Gonzalez is moving to Canada. Hopefully they find a new teacher and the class can resume eventually.

Here is Skyler touching a snake:

Looking at a Sea Star (starfish is actually a misnomer):

Video of the sea star demo and Skyler touching it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIEbbFVrGpU

Video of the sea urchin demonstration and Skyler getting to hold it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBUC7jeo6SM

For more information on Gumbo Limbo, go to thier website:
http://gumbolimbo.org/

Picnic

2007-11-25T23:01:00.000-05:00

Skyler and I (and sometimes Shayna and Manny join us) have picnics outside in the backyard a lot now that the weather is not too hot anymore. We look for any wildlife or birds and have the binoculars and bird book ready. Its our own little outdoor cafe.

Mizner Park Tree Lighting Event

2007-11-23T23:54:00.000-05:00

I took Shayna and Skyler to the tree lighting holiday event at Mizner Park, which was held in the big ampitheater near the art museum. The event was from 5-8pm with the lighting at 6pm. Since everyone else was tired (Manny, Grandma and Grandpa) they all napped while we went to the event, and they met us there later, around 8pm. Here are a few of the things they did:

They got to decorate cupcakes:

Showing off the cupcakes they decorated. We sat by Shayna's favorite spot so they could eat, the big teacup statue and fountains in front of the art museum (not pictured but you can see this spot in the earlier post when we went to the art museum). We went back to this same spot later with Grandma and Grandpa so they could eat ice cream from the ice cream truck.

We got to see a fabulous show on the big main stage! It was a huge professional production, lots of music, dancing, songs, characters like Elmo and more, nutcrackers on stilts, a magician performing to Harry Potter music, and Santa at the end. Skyler had such a blast dancing during the show. It reminded me of being at the Beaches resort and seeing a live outdoor show (it was that good and lively). Oh, they also had REAL snow falling over you as you watched the show.

Over on the side of the ampitheater in the grassy area there was a free train ride and huge slide. The slide line was too long but we did get to go on the train:

Skyler likes to be the conductor in the front:

There was a giant gecko:

Skyler thought it was funny to try and pull the gecko's tail:

Later when everyone else showed up, the event had ended but we enjoyed walking around Mizner park looking in the shops and enjoying the lights:

This is the middle part, there are streets on either side and the covered stone area where the shops and restaurants are. This is the only shopping place I have ever been to that has a covered outdoor sidewalk, with the covering made of stone. So no umbrellas needed.

Boating

2007-11-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

We went out on the boat today, a 15 minute scenic cruise through the intracoastal past Deerfield Island Park (park you can only get to by boat), past gorgeous mansions and condos, to Lake Boca, where we anchored and did fishing and crabbing.

Below is Skyler during the brief time he was still awake, Manny cutting bait (squid), Shayna, and Grandpa fishing:

Manny, Shayna and Grandpa all caught fish! Here is Grandpa with the mutton snapper he had just caught:

The only mishap was when Shayna accidentally dropped her rod into the water, and then Grandma caught it about 2 hours later with the crab trap (she got the fishing line, which manny then was able to pull and get the rod out). we did not catch any crabs with the trap today, but did catch some fish in the trap.

We also saw the following birds/wildlife: Osprey, pelicans, cormorant, black vultures, and Iguanas. An Osprey is very similar to an Eagle.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

We had our first visitors since moving to Florida, Grandma and Grandpa. They arrived late Wed. afternoon. we gave them a mini tour of some spots along A1A: red reef park on the beach, red reef park's oceanfront golf course, and the intracoastal side of red reef park, all duirng sunset so the beach view had a pink hue in the sky and the clouds looked like pink cotton candy. Then we went into Delray Beach to walk on Atlantic Ave. where all the shops and restaurants are. we got to look in a nice art gallery and window shop, then ate dinner at Oyster City.

We spent Thanksgiving at our house. We enjoyed the backyard, sitting on the lounge chairs and patio set. Grandma and Grandpa got to try fishing on the canal right in our backyard. here is Grandpa fishing:

Shayna taught Grandma how to cast:

we showed them all the life on the canal and used the binoculars. Grandpa saw the turtles with thier heads sticking out of the water, and we showed them some of the birds that hang out on the canal (common moorhen, muscovy ducks, doves). The iguanas were not present today (they are usually around) but there were plenty of geckos and small lizards. The highlight was seeing a hawk in the tree across the canal, we could see it very well with the binoculars! we looked it up in our bird watching guide to identify it.

I then gave them a tour of central and west Boca....Shayna's school, Skylers school, the general scenery, the mall, etc.

we had dinner in the dining room, which is facing the backyard. we opened up these french doors so it was like dining al fresco:

we used this ledge to serve the food:

Shayna liked the sweet potatoes...which makes me happy as I am trying to get her to eat more veggies. she likes them with the marshmallows on top.

Fishing with Daddy

2007-11-19T23:09:00.000-05:00

Skyler and Manny did some fishing in the canal in our backyard today.

Beach tunnel

2007-11-17T21:15:00.000-05:00

Shayna and I went to Spanish River Park* today to roller blade. There is a cool tunnel to the beach, where you walk under the street. Above Shayna in the photos is where the path is where we went roller blading. Its now our favorite spot for roller blading and biking (you can also bike, walk, jog). Its a nice smooth path, and there are some spots with trees/landscaping between the path and the road, and also here in a few spots you can see the ocean as you exercise (it looks so pretty especially at dusk, when the sky turns pink). also a plus there are benches and water fountains scattered through out. The exercise path goes pretty much all through Boca on A1A and further (although how far I don't know as I never paid attention).

Shayna's flip flop broke in the middle of the tunnel, and she hopped on one until I said why don't you just walk barefoot?

On the way out we saw 4 raccoons and Shayna used the binoculars to see them up close, one was licking sap or water from a tree.

*Spanish River Park is the northernmost beach park of the 3 parks on A1A in Boca, we have parking access to all three with our parking pass.

South Beach Miami fountain tour- Lincoln Road

2007-11-16T23:53:00.000-05:00

After shayna's audition* we went to Lincoln Road to walk around. This was right by the building the casting agency was in, also on Lincoln Road. This is one of the main spots to go to in South Beach, the others being Ocean Drive, Espanola Way, Collins Ave. Last time I was here was in 1996 (to Lincoln Rd.) and it is 100% different now and WOW is it awesome! LOVE this place. I would describe it as a shopping, dining, and entertainment area that is oozing with artsy trendy coolness and class. You may find street artists or performers, people hanging out, cool art to look at, pretty scenery, the best shops- mix of boutiques, art, tourist, no tacky shops, lots of outdoor cafes, and 200% full of life. you will see families with strollers as well as people going out or the singles scene, and fashionistas. Great people watching. I like the way it is set up, with the stores/restaurants aligned where the streets go perpendicular, so where the shops go for 1-2 blocks there are no cars in the middle, more of a plaza feel, which makes it feel very European. In fact, a lot of the restaurants have the food displayed out front- something you see a lot in Europe.

There are also a LOT of fountains here, which skyler loved. here is where we started:

Skyler liked the plastic sofas:

This was inside a big tourist/beach type shop (a nice one not too cheesy at all)...a free cell phone charger machine...never saw this before:

another nice fountain, with a cool looking fairytale like tree behind (you may be able to see if you click on photo to enlarge). we ate at the outdoor restaurant behind where they are sitting and slightly up to the left, called Le Bon, a belguim restaurant (hence the French). I had a really good spinach salad with goat cheese, and they have belguim fries that are really good (I am not a fries person and these were good). I have not been up on researching the restaurant scene, so we stumbled upon this (just checking out menus as we walked by) but it turns out they specialize in mussels- so will have to go that route next time. They had an awesome recipe for the snapper I ordered, it was in a coconut milk sauce and coated with some kind of nuts.

Bob the stroller comes in handy. I noticed a lot of upscale strollers here- Bugaboo and Maclerans.

one of the shops we stoped in, a surf/skate shop...thought this surfboard bench was cool:

There was what appeared to be a roman/greek statue that skyler and I walked by twice, and we were fooled as later we found it was a lady posing as a statue.

we discovered a wonderful artist we did not know about, Romero Britto, when we went into his art gallery. His art is in the pop art cubism style, and he is world famous. the art is so gorgeous, all we could do was oooh and aaah and think, wow is this beautiful!!! He has a huge list of celebrities that own his art, and a huge list of places his art is displayed, including in the white house in DC. If you are not familiar with him already, please take a quick look at his web site:

http://www.britto.com/

Some other pertinent links:

To see the Belguim restaurant we ate at:

http://www.lebonrestaurant.com/

Lincoln Road Miami Beach web site:

http://www.lincolnroadmiamibeach.com/

*Shayna's audition went well. if she gets chosen, callbacks are next friday 11/23. she did not wear the outfit she has on in the above photos, but wore a long sleeved white shirt, long jeans, boots, scarf and gloves (thankfully borrowed from Carissa.)

Thanksgiving Feast - Skyler's Preschool

2007-11-16T23:11:00.000-05:00

Skyler went to his Thanksgiving Feast at his school today. and a FEAST it was! here is his teacher, Miss Teresa, cutting the turkey, it smelled soooo good! there was also carrots, corn, mashed potatoes, stuffing, fresh fruit with watermelon, cookies, cupcakes (that we brought), and dutch apple pie.

Skyler in his indian costume and hat holding the placemat he made: a handprint turkey. Highlight of my day, I will cherish this forever...it says "I am thankful for.... Thank you mommy."

I took Shayna out of school early so she could go too:

Skyler enjoying his cupcake. you can see his costume a bit in this photo:

Audition

2007-11-15T23:50:00.000-05:00

Shayna has her first audition in Florida tomorrow. Its for Royal Caribbean, and if she gets it she will be on the cruise from 12/2 to 12/8 and be paid $400 per day. She has to ice skate.

The audition is in Miami Beach at Universal Casting. If she makes it she will go to the callbacks on 11/23.

Since it is in south beach, we will hang out in south beach afterwards, as we have not made it there since we moved down here and it is one of my all time favorite places (along with places like Carmel, CA and the French Riviera, etc.). Manny and Skyler will meet up with us as they are going into Miami also to get Manny's master boat captains license.

also, she is to go dressed as an ice skater....very ironic as I have no idea what I did with the bag of hats/gloves/scarves and not even sure if I packed it as I did not think we would need them.

Turkey Cupcakes

2007-11-15T23:02:00.000-05:00

we made these turkey cupcakes to bring in to Skyler's preschool Thanksgiving feast tomorrow:

Gobble gobble!

New Agency

2007-11-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

Shayna and I met with and signed with Boca Talent & Model Agency today. Shayna had an agency in Philadelphia but we had to find her a new one here in Florida.

The casting agencies are mainly in Miami, so if/when she gets auditions that is where we will go.

The agent we met with named Tammy, said that it gets very busy right after Thanksgiving.

We will post as the auditions happen.

Homework poolside

2007-11-12T22:54:00.001-05:00

It was a beautiful day today, but the pool is now too cold to go in and do our after school swims anymore, so we sat outside by the pool enjoying the fresh Florida breezes and life on the canal. Today was a typical day where we saw a few species of birds and a big Iguana. Shayna did her homework outside and Skyler colored, I did some business calls/work and then read the Boca Magazine for a bit, and turtle swam in the pool.

Shayna does her math homework while Skyler colors...

close up of Shayna's homework page. this is 6th grade middle school math. click on it and you can see it in greater detail.

after finishing math, Shayna read the book she is doing a book report on. later shayna and I went roller blading along A1A by the beach after viewing the gorgeous sunset on the intracoastal (the place we roller blade from is the intracoastal side of red reef park, and where you can go and fish, grill, and where the golf course is), and Skyler went to football practice.

Carnival

2007-11-11T21:43:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to a carnival at the local church near our house, and it was close enough that we walked there.

Skyler for the first time was really into the rides (last attempt at a carnival in May he cried when on a ride) and really had a great time. He kept asking to go back to the carnival today. he also went on his first roller coaster. he sat with me (too short to go with shayna) and he laughed the entire time. the carnival was so pretty with all the colorful lights at night, and all the music and happy sounds make you feel so alive. it was packed with teens and families from Boca, and we ran into someone we had met a few weeks ago and Shayna went on a ride with her daughter and friends.

Shayna and Skyler on the boat ride:

The man in the above photo was in charge of the boats, and as the kids were such bad drivers every so often all the boats would get clustered together in the middle, and he would yell "everybody turn!"

Skyler was actually the one controlling the boat with his steering wheel:

Shayna went on a ride called the Fire Ball, a pretty hard core ride that spins around, goes upside down, etc. she and the girls she was with on the ride were the youngest, the other kids were all teens. here are some stock photos of what the fire ball looks like:

Briny Breezes

2007-11-10T22:02:00.000-05:00

we went to the beach at Briny Breezes today, a little "old Florida" oceanfront town just North of Delray, North of Boca. Briny Breezes is known for being the town consisting of a mobile home community, pop. 488, that was offered 510 Million as a buyout by a developer, this would make all the mobile home owners millionaires (a big jump considering most paid less than 100G and most make ave. 35G/year). The buyout deal is still in the works and the mobile homes are all still there untouched (but at some point will be gone for condos as about 80-90% agreed to sell). we went to Gulf Stream park, which is just south of where all the mobile homes are. Briny Breezes is also the place where the reef (natural reef) is closest to the beach...only feet away!

we had been wanting to go here for a while (because of the reef, to snorkel), only never did until now for various reasons (illness, rough ocean, other plans, etc.). The ocean was not bathtub warm anymore, although you could still go in, we decided not to...so will go back again around May or so when it gets warmer again.

we were entertained briefly by an airshow, that is a daredevil airplane overhead:

shayna and skyler actually using thier chairs:

shayna and skyler concentrated on digging tunnels today. skyler wore his cool sunglasses:

we went for a nice beach walk, wading in the ocean waves. we talked with some locals and found out that due to the recent beach erosion (after storm Noel), some things were exposed for the first time in 20-30 years, like the area of rocks in the lapping waves or part of a beach staircase that was completely submerged before. I had been to our local beach a few days prior and there were some tidepools formed, but none here today.

Clay Art

2007-11-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

Shayna and Skyler had fun creating with clay using a kit I got for them. It was a nice day to sit outside. what a pretty view:

Great view of the canal from the picnic table:

here are the things they made. I helped Skyler make the train, star, and frog:

Boca Raton Museum of Art

2007-11-04T20:59:00.000-05:00

We went to the Boca Raton Museum of Art this afternoon. The art museum is located in Mizner Park, the "downtown" of Boca, near the beach- a beautiful area with shops, restaurants (and outdoor dining), and a huge outdoor ampitheater where there are concerts, plays, and events.

This is the entrance, there is a neat statue behind Shayna and Skyler:

Outdoor courtyard:

we were very impressed with the museum. There is always a special changing exhibit, and we happened to luckily get there for the very last day of Guillermo Trujillo. There is a section in the front that explains how to look at art, with art for each as an example. Within the permanent collections were some impressive famous artists such as Picasso, Miro, Ernst, Matisse, Warhol, Seurat, Toulouse-Lautrec, Alexander Calder, and Degas. No Van Gogh or Munch.

South Florida Parenting Holiday Show

2007-11-03T00:04:00.000-04:00

It was a fun filled day at the South Florida Parenting (free parenting paper) Holiday Show. The kids got in free with thier fun pass. The event was at Dolphin Stadium in Miami:

Skyler got to ride around in a toy Jeep:

Tumble around on my gym cushions:

This igloo was pretty cool, and it had a fishing game inside:

Its snowing in Florida!!!

We got to put a bird on our arm at the Jungle Island booth:

Skyler with the bird on his shoulder:

Skyler got to go on his first pony ride:

They also got to go in a jumping house for a long time, go down a giant Kong slide, into a blow up airplane obstacle course, and Shayna got to ride a mechanical bull and do a joust. There was a foam pit (filled with bubbling foam) which looked crazy, laser tag inside an alien blow up thing, a Miami Dolphins Jr. training area which the kids did on the field, and a lame version of snow tubing (most families in Boca go to places like Colorado for this), and an inside area with more things to do and crafts.

Skyler with his giant balloon and various loot:

Nature in Boca

2007-11-02T22:42:00.000-04:00

After school today we went to a few spots on A1A by the beach and intracoastal to walk, explore and enjoy nature..all in our home town, Boca Raton.

First stop was the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. We walked on the boardwalk trail and took the path that goes to the Intracoastal Overlook. The boardwalk that goes in that direction off the main boardwalk path goes over the marshy area filled with water, and we looked down and saw little fish chased by big fish. After passing that, we reached the overlook area:

we had just enough time to look at 2 of the tanks at the nature center (closes at 4pm). we were able to ID some of the fish from our experiences snorkeling and fishing, and there was a man there who was able to tell us what every fish and creature in the tank was:

Next we went to Spanish River Park, which also has a path leading to the intracoastal. This park also goes to the beach as well, and is part of our 3 beach park area annual parking pass. There is a dock here with cleats, pavillion, grills, outdoor shower, etc. by the intracoastal, so good to know if out boating and need a pit stop. we were the only ones in the park. of course, a playground stop is a must. skyler likes climbing on the "noses"-- thats what he calls the thingies you step on to climb at the playground:

Last we stopped at the little park that is by Gumbo Limbo and the Oceanfront/Intracoastal municipal golf course. There is a cool looking modern pavillion on the water with picnic table and grills, benches and is set up for fishing...there are pole holders built in all along the front along the water! Its very pretty with huge palms all lined neatly along the edge by the water.

On the other side of the parking lot is the building for the golf course, so we went to check it out. Not a bad deal...the resident golf card is $20 for 2 years, and the cost for 18 holes walking is $5 or $11 with the drive cart...prices for the oceanfront golf course and the west boca course. we also noticed a nice bike path bordered by grass so not right on the road on A1A, we plan to bike and rollerblade there.

Skyler's Art

2007-11-01T22:09:00.000-04:00

Skyler did some drawing tonight and has branched out beyond balloons and pumpkins. I showed him how to draw a flower, and then he created some more additons on his own. Below is his rendition of a scene with the sun, a flower, grass, himself and Shayna, and a cloud with rain:

He did this drawing of a guy and then his masterpiece called "All Bellies:"

Skylers style is to draw people with very long legs. On Sunday we went to the Boca Raton Museum of Art which had an exhibit of Guillermo Trujillo's paintings, a famous painter from Panama. It happens that Trujillo has a similar style to Skyler - having elongated people with stiltlike legs:

Some background info. about this style of Trujillo's:

A few of the landscapes — most notably the lush Paisaje de Verano and Erosión de campo — are unpopulated, and there's a strange grandeur to their emptiness. But more often Trujillo inserts angular, elongated forms inspired by the nucho, the magic wand or wooden baton used by indigenous Panamanian shamans in the performance of rituals. Such artifacts were originally carved in the shapes of birds, animals, and other creatures, although in Trujillo's canvases they became stylized forms that seem to dance through the landscapes, sometimes earthbound, sometimes through the air. The artist senses and tries to capture their energy and power, which were such that a nucho could only be put to use a single time.
In some of the paintings the nuchos are clearly totemlike forms that retain their origins in the realm of animals and other mythical creatures. In other images they seem to be morphing into more human shapes, evolving before our eyes from primitive to more sophisticated forms. And in other works the metamorphosis seems almost complete, with only traces of the nuchos remaining in their human counterparts.
Even when Trujillo turns to painting actual human beings, the influence of the nucho remains. The artist portrays people as elongated, impossibly tall and lean, as if stilts are hidden beneath their colorful, richly patterned clothing. It's a technique that lends the subjects an elegance as well as, occasionally, a faintly comical demeanor.

Halloween

2007-10-31T23:47:00.000-04:00

Shayna and Skyler went trick or treating with Carissa, Carissa's friend Ann Katherine, and a few of Carissa's neighbors (Amanda,10, her sister Michelle,5, and Chase,8, thier neighbor ). This was in Carissa's neighborhood in West Boca (Boca is so big it has an East, central, and west and also downtown sections).

Shayna was an evil "gothy" pirate, Skyler was a pirate captain. Shayna did her make up herself, and the blood, and I sprayed red in her hair and she added the red color gel.

Shayna, Carissa (goth raggedy ann), AK, and Skyler:

I like Shayna in this pic:

Shayna and Skyler:

On our front porch. You can see the pumpkins we made...from left to right- Shayna's ghost pumpkin, pumpkin I did with Skyler, and Skyler's "potato head" style pumpkin. You can also see the skull on Shayna's dress, it was really cool with red ruby heart shaped eyes:

after this we hit a few houses on our street, then inside to sort all the goodies.

Skyler and all the loot!!! The orange bag is from his preschool party:

Skyler's Preschool Halloween Extravaganza

2007-10-31T21:38:00.000-04:00

Skyler went to the Halloween party at his preschool today...it was so amazing and extravagant!

When he arrived there was Elmo in the lobby:

They had circle time followed by flag time (will post that video in a few days). His teacher, Miss Teresa, dressed as a butterfly. Everyone looked so cute and the room was so colorful and festive:

They got to help make a witches brew in a cauldron:

Skyler's turn to add some ice cream:

Skyler stirs the potion:

They got to have the potion with a snack. Skyler really liked it:

Luke (sitting next to Skyler dressed as Luke Skywalker) didn't like the potion drink:

Next they went into the gym for the schools Halloween celebration. They walked through a maze path when they entered, with Pirates of the Caribbean music playing- see video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yAJ88QIDLM

Thier music teacher, Dario, was dressed as a pirate and was dancing with them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_vIgSOq8nA

After leaving the gym, they got to go trick or treating around the school. They made the bags the day before. Skyler went home with his entire bag FILLED to the top:

Back in the Elmo classroom, they had thier Halloween feast. wow was it decandent!!! They had chicken fingers, mac and cheese, chips, popcorn, rice krispie treats, and more. Skyler focused on the popcorn:

They got to decorate cupcakes- frosting them and adding the toppings:

After that, the party was over and they went over for storytime. Skyler at this point said he was tired, so I took him home so he could nap to get ready for trick or treating later!!! He had sooo much fun!

Twas the Night Before Halloween

2007-10-30T23:30:00.000-04:00

...and we were busy carving, mixing, cutting, baking and decorating...

3 eyed and 3 nosed pumpkin cookie above. skyler used the dough and cut out cookies himself.

Ghost Art

2007-10-30T21:41:00.000-04:00

Skyler used a ghost stencil to make ghosts.

Shayna's Class Halloween Party

2007-10-30T20:37:00.000-04:00

Shayna's class Halloween party was today. The party is put together by the room moms, with teacher input/permission. I was sick during the planning phase, so didn't get to help in the planning (this was one I would have liked to, but will have many more to get involved with). Here is the invite:

The party started at 11am, while the kids were away at "lunch" the moms got the room ready. I came in to help out- I was one of 6 moms there. The party ended just in time for the special (gym today). They started with lunch from cheeburger cheeburger, which was served in little car containers. It was chicken & fries & a cookie. Ilene knows the owner so was able to get a good deal.

Then they got to do the "guess how many are in the jar" game:

Then outside for relay races (this was Mr. Mandel's request, he likes them to do sports/physical activities). They go right out the back door of thier classroom to the outside back courtyard which leads to this area. It was pretty windy from Tropical Storm Noel.

Last they came inside and decorated cupcakes. Shayna and Carissa with thier cupcakes:

Note: they are not allowed to wear costumes at this school. it varies school to school but most seem to be this way. they do let the K and 1st graders wear costumes on Halloween.

Pumpkin Pancakes

2007-10-29T19:52:00.000-04:00

As per tradition, we made pumpkin pancakes a few days before Halloween. Shayna had off from school so we had more free time than normal.

Here are Shayna and Skyler mixing the batter after adding food coloring to make it orange:

Using chocolate chips to make the faces:

The pancakes that Skyler decorated. I liked the one in the middle so added the whipped cream "hair."

Monster Splash Event

2007-10-28T23:04:00.000-04:00

We went to the Miami Seaquarium on Biscayne Bay in Miami today for the "Monster Splash" Halloween event that started at 5pm.

Here we saw a dolphin and whale show, Skyler liked the dolphins. There are 4 arenas for shows at this park, we went into 3 of them by the end of the night.

The whale...he would purposely splash the crowd. people in the splash zone (going up pretty far maybe 6 rows) got completely wet.

After 5 the Halloween event started. It was HUGE. The entire park had elaborate decorations everywhere. In the front of the park was a "fall festival" area, with lots of hay. Shayna and Skyler each decorated a pumpkin. They really enjoyed this:

Artists concentrating:

There were some games like this:

Skyler just walked up and put them in the holes:

There were 2 "haunted houses" one for younger kids and one for older kids, we went into/through both. Skyler learned how to do a fake scream. Shayna said it was the least scary of the haunted houses - the scariest being the one at Snipes Farm last year (we were alone in there and it was an old falling apart looking barnhouse), with Sugar Sand park's haunted train ride a close second. There were 2 7th grade girls behind us, who went in front of us and were screaming hysterically the whole time, almost knocking down the one girls mother as they clung to her...since they were right in front of us, they got all the scares and made it not as scary for shayna. then there was a dad with a daughter around shayna's age who was pushing her into the scary guys while she yelled "stop it!" or 'thats enough!" thought they were part of the act at first. The scary guys would high 5 skyler, and he was not scared at all. The most original prop was the hanging blow up dummies you had to walk through- we discussed this the next day (shayna and I) and thought it was quite comical.

They also had trick or treating throughout the park.

The grand finale was a very festive show in Flipper stadium with festive dance music- led by Beetlejuice, Freddy Kreuger, the Wolfman, and Jason. The Beetlejuice guy looked and sounded exactly like Beetlejuice. It was a lot of fun. It reminded me of the shows at Universal Studios or at a resort like Beaches, where you are so enthralled and having so much fun. Then the final dolphin show- very theatrical show and there were dancers in glow in the dark skeleten wetsuits. It all ended with fireworks.

It was a very lively and festive halloween event...there were a LOT of people there, and more then 50% in costumes.

we were more impressed with the halloween event then the park itself, although did not see 2 of the walk through areas since by the time we got to them they were setting up the haunted houses which were in those areas. The nicest area is where they do the dolphin swims, it looks like a hotel and is very classy looking, with cushioned iron chairs- the kind you see at fancy resort lobbys and a pretty pool.

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

2007-10-27T23:05:00.000-04:00

Manny and Shayna went to the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show today. Skyler got a stomach virus last night so I stayed home with him. This is the biggest boat show in the world, and is at 5-6 different locations including the Broward Convention Center and various nearby marinas. they went to the Convention Center, which is much bigger than the one in Philadelphia. They went to 3 fishing seminars, which Shayna enjoyed because they were giving away lots of free stuff. Shayna also went to the "Kids fishing clinic." They divided the kids into groups and then they rotate around the different learning stations. At the end if the completed them all they got a free fishing rod and lure kit. Not a cheapie or kiddie looking rod but a very good rod and bait kit (lures etc.). They also got into the boat show for free when taking the clinic. During the kids clinic she learned about lures, tying knots, conservation, how to remove hooks safely, how to cast, and more.

They came home with a ton of things they got for free: about 5 T-shirts, thing to keep drink cold, the fishing rod and bait kit, baseball cap/hat, necklace, stuffed fish animal. During one of the seminars the speaker asked "who here doesn't want to catch any more fish?" No one raised thier hand. "I got a free shirt for anyone that doesn't want to catch any more fish." Manny raised his hand first and got the shirt.

Here is Shayna before going into the clinic, doing the fishing craft. It was a stuffed fish on a little line and "rod:"

Shayna during the fishing clinic:

Skyler and the Purple Crayon

2007-10-27T22:25:00.000-04:00

After Skyler and I read "Harold and the Purple Crayon" I gave him a bunch of blank paper and a purple crayon so he could draw his own pictures. He has a balloon fetish. His pictures were mainly of balloons. He also drew pumpkins (with face and stem) and one hot air balloon. The above are some of the artwork, he used maybe 15-20 sheets of paper from our large collection of recycled papers.

Shriek Week

2007-10-26T22:49:00.000-04:00

In honor of Halloween, they are having "Shriek Week" at Sugar Sand Park, which is a bunch of events going on in the main building. T0night we saw a magic halloween show in the theater, then went on the Crooked Creek haunted tour. The haunted tour was really good and I was extremely impressed. very professionally done and theatrical. First you take a train ride outside...similar to a haunted hayride, riding past scenes and scary creatures unexpectedly jumping out at you. Then you walk through the haunted house. Shayna was extremely fearful as last years haunted house was so scary, but she had her bloody sword with her. Skyler wasn't scared at all and in fact laughed at times.

Here is a sneak peek at their costumes- here at shriek week- although for Halloween I will do more make up and more red in Shayna's hair. They are pirates. seems to be very popular this year.

We met Carissa and her parents and a bunch of other friends there for the haunted tour and to hang out with for a bit afterwards.

Everyone here is so friendly and social- tonight for example I we met a mom with her daughter and friend on the haunted tour and she got my phone number. Even just out picking up take out I wind up talking to people. very different from the Philadelphia area- no wonder it won most unfriendly city in the US.

Deep Thought

2007-10-23T22:56:00.001-04:00

I was talking with Shayna today and said that maybe she should consider becoming an astronaut (for all the obvious reasons plus she is good at math/science and good physical shape). She said:

"you know the thing I really want to explore/know? I want to know what there was before the beginning of time." ie before space was created. what was there BEFORE space?

Space Shuttle Launch

2007-10-23T22:46:00.000-04:00

Shayna got to see the space shuttle Discovery launch this morning. First they watched it take off on the computer live, and as soon as it took off Mr. Mandel took the class outside and they saw the space shuttle in the sky! We are pretty far, so they saw a red dot and smoke...but still exciting!

Next launch is December 6th.

Here is the link to read more about todays launch and mission:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Beach Day in Boca

2007-10-21T23:54:00.000-04:00

We went to the beach today. Its been a few weeks since we had a beach day (we did go to south beach for a half hour to find the rocks for turtles aquarium but thats it the last few weeks). The ocean is still warm enough to go in- not just the kids but for me. The surf was a bit rough so I wanted Skyler to stay in the shallow surf area.

You can see the swells behind Shayna- the photo is a bit deceiving and it was much rougher and wavier than it appears in the photo:

we built a big sand castle using my method, which is to dig the circular moat first, dumping all the sand into the middle "island," then putting the castle molds on top of the mound. I forgot how much exercise you get just from going to the beach. Loading the car, schlepping the stuff from car to beach, the walk from car to beach, digging in the sand, swimming in the ocean (didn't do that much since one of us had to watch skyler and Manny was not with us today), schlepping stuff to the shower, washing stuff in shower, making 2 trips to car to put away stuff, washing off sand in the shower. Not a bad way to get a bit of exercise. Not that I mind any of the above tasks, as the walk is very pretty and scenic, has a nice boardwalk to the beach (skyler calls it a bridge), and even the shower area is pretty and enclosed in the shady trees/foliage. In fact, every time I do the return walk from the beach along the boardwalk I pause to enjoy the pretty scenery and scent: a mix of coconut palms and tropical flowers/plants- its an extremely pleasant smell.

Halloween decor - Florida style

2007-10-21T22:38:00.000-04:00

The Halloween decorations look so different on the Florida architechture and on the palm tree. No large oaks to hang the ghost from, but I'll take palm trees any day over raking those leaves. The kids in bathing suits about to go to the beach adds a nice touch. Still high 80s during the day here. We are to get a cold front later this coming week which will give us highs around 84-85 and lows in the low 70s at night.

Note: the palm tree's trunk has little patterned bumps which made it easy to hang the ghost.

Robot Zoo

2007-10-20T23:24:00.000-04:00

After a busy day which included Manny and Shayna going ocean/offshore fishing and Skyler and I going to the beach and getting rained on, we all went to "The Robot Zoo" exhibit at the Science Explorium at Sugar Sand Park, a few minutes from our house. if you remember how we found turtle, we found him on our way to this exhibit a few weeks ago, and when we got there it was closed. They are keeping it open later this week because of "Shriek Week" which is the Halloween events in the same building. So besides seeing Robot Zoo, even more fun for me was seeing kids in thier Halloween costumes (most come to Shriek Week in costume- we have tickets for this coming Friday for the magic show and haunted tour).

See if you can find Skyler:

Shayna and Skyler on one of the Robot Zoo exhibits, which is a giant chameleon head that you control the tongue and try to "eat" the bugs with the tongue:

Fall Family Festival at Del Prado

2007-10-19T22:08:00.000-04:00

We went to the Fall Family Festival at Del Prado tonight, which was held in the courtyard in the school.

It was $7pp which included dinner: 2 pieces of pizza, salad, drinks, cake (there was a huge cake), and Italian water ice. There was also a take home photo favor, which we never got around to doing.

Here is where we ate dinner. They did a nice job with the tables- each tablecloth had fall foam pieces glued on, and pretty fall centerpieces (see table behind the kids). We sat and hung out with Carissa and her parents, Janette and Mark. Carissa, Shayna and Skyler:

There were hayrides in the parking lot. there was this little section nearby with hay and pumpkins and a fall display. the kids were all running amuck here throwing the props around- notice the scarecrow lying on the ground. skyler ran right over to this pumpkin and insisted on picking it up. he loves pumpkins:

Shayna and Skyler...still warm enough at night for tank tops and skorts or shorts:

Carissa, Shayna and Skyler:

There was also a DJ, a show from the local karate school that Shayna is starting to go to- her friend/classmate Hannah is on the demo team, and a video game area.

Crabbing and Fishing

2007-10-18T17:27:00.000-04:00

We went out on the boat yesterday after school to go crabbing and fishing on Lake Boca.

Manny is training Shayna to do basic boating functions, like helping to dock, use the ropes, and how to drive the boat:

We anchored at Lake Boca and threw in the crab trap using a chicken drumstick as bait. Manny got the kind of trap that once the creatures get in, they can't get out. which means you can catch just about anything that goes after the bait, not always crabs. On the first pull up, we caught a fish:

Next try, we got our first crab! It was a blue crab:

Skyler checking out what is in the trap:

Manny put the crab into the cooler, which is also a seat. Skyler loved looking at the crab:

Closer look at the crab:

Manny and the kids caught a LOT of fish but threw almost all of them back. Mainly baby jacks and Mangrove Snappers, and one trunkfish. sometimes they would have 3 fish on their line (set with 3 hooks). We caught 3 crabs and kept 2 fish, which we cooked for dinner. I had a nice crab salad.

The sun was setting as we made our way home on the intracoastal:

We are still using our pool. Skyler and I went in today as the sun peeked out enough. I thought it was fine once you get in, but its not lukewarm like it was a few weeks ago.

Del Prado Elementary- Shayna's School

2007-10-17T22:09:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I attended the Curriculum Night at Shayna's school, in her 5th grade class taught by Mr. Mandel.

I was extremely impressed with the curriculum and wound up taking about 5 pages of notes. For one, the class is very advanced and is definately taught geared at the gifted child. Mr. Mandel has advanced training in gifted Ed. The main ways it is different from regular ed. is that its accerated, moves at a faster pace, has enirchment, they will go in more detail or on tangents on a subject (for example they read something having to do with prehistoric animals and then had an assignment to do a mini paper on a chosen animal).

We were given the results of the reading assessment, called SRI for Scholastic Reading Inventory. They get a lexile score. Mandel said most/some in the class were reading at a high school level. I looked up Shayna's score and while not an expert she seemed to fall at a high school level...and for myself the only hold back factor is the content/maturity level of certain books. One great thing, since all the children are gifted, the class is at a higher level overall with everything.

Here are some of the curriculum content.

Language/writing:

Will be doing writing in narrative, expository, persuasive forms. Will do book reports and research in science and social studies. Will do poetry. Concentrating on advanced skills as the kids "know the basics"- such as word choice (shayna's 2nd grade teacher was big with this, saying "jazz up your words and encouraging thesaurus use), personal voice, and organizing. For vocabulary THANK GOD finally on her level: not from the regular ed. book but words taken from the novels, science and social studies. When they are doing a novel and a word arises that they may not know, he will stop and write it on the board and ask if anyone knows what it means.

Reading:

They are doing novels, and go at a fast pace. Expect to do at least 20+ through the year. There is also a reading text and an FCAT prep book. They also seem to be doing some other reading besides the novels, xeroxed short stories, worksheets. Recently they had a "war of the worlds" reading topic. They also do scholastic news. To me these are too basic- I like to have Shayna pay more attention to current events, not that I follow up with it, it seems to be more of watching Oprah talk about an important news topic.

Social Studies:

They will be doing US History, Government, native people, environmental issues, map skills, economy, money and banking. Mostr recently they did a unit all about early exploration, Magellan, etc. Pretty detailed.

Science:

They are doing soooooooo much! Hurricanes, water cycle, weather, plants, animals, ecosystems, sound, electricity, solar system, rocks and minerals, human body, inventors, scientists, and more. will be learning scientific method, lots if hands on activities. There is a day later in the year where they have a science expo. A recent assignment she brought home with all the astronomy stuff included a star map and she is to go outside and use it. Coincidentally, I signed Shayna up for an astronomy night in November at the science explorium at the local Sugar Sand Park.

Math:

She has 6th grade math with Mrs. Root. Did not get intricate details since curriculum night is only with the main teacher. But so far they seem to be going at a fast pace, doing pre algebra and algebra. Found out the other day that it is the highest 5th grade math class. They get homework every night, Shayna seems to be doing well so far.

They have 4 planned field trips so far. I will write about them as they occur. The first was yesterday, october 16th.

let me say, I am extremely happy with this school. Granted, there is no gym, no choir and no free music lessons but that is not as important as the academics. Since its Florida, they get to have gym outside, walk in outdoor hallways, etc. I have had the chance to sneek a peek into a 2nd grade classroom and find out a bit about that grade, and it looks phenomenal. similar to private school. so I am on a mission to make sure Skyler attends this school starting in Kindergarten.

One thing having nothing to do with academics that I like is the way they do dismissal, while it is more inconvenient for parents, it is so much safer than her previous school which really irked me. here, they have a car line, and make sure every child goes with the proper parent/guardian. It is much safer. her old school let them loose, no supervision, and they blocked off the parking lot at pick up time.

They also have an amazing PTA. Honestly, I was so impressed at the open house before school started I was almost in tears with happiness and relief. They are also very pro parent involvement. There are room moms and very organized elaborate class parties akin to birthday parties (this is what I got talking to a mom from the class who has been with the school since K).

Skyler's Room

2007-10-16T22:54:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Skyler's room:

Skyler in his big boy bed. Its a captains bed with the drawers in it. he has been in this since we moved in, and really likes his bed. he still uses his aquarium "crib" toy when he goes to sleep.

His room is in an ocean/underwater/nautical/boating/pirate theme. Here is the real treasure map and his treasure chest. also his "happy note" collection, from school.

How I did the top of his dresser:

we have something neat planned for the side wall by his bed. I will take photos if we ever get to do it (so busy with everything else). I'll post about the other parts of his room another time.

Just another afternoon...

2007-10-15T18:34:00.000-04:00

I decided to get some fresh air and relax outside this afternoon, as it has been too overcast to swim in the pool, and also its been so rough at the ocean plus we have all been sick lately, so needed some good fresh air. I told skyler I was just sitting on the chair and not swimming, as it was too windy/cloudy, and he ran and put on his swim suit and flip flops and joined me outside anyway. I brought out his Halloween coloring book and crayons so he had something to do, as lounging by the pool and reading a good book does not go for a 3 year old. I thought this isn't quite the bad back drop for an afternoon coloring at the backyard table, wit the tropical foliage and canal in the background:

we also brought out turtle for a pool swim, which he direly needed. he didn't get out last week:

as you can see, turtle didn't mind the colder than usual conditions.

Turtle Story

2007-10-12T20:25:00.000-04:00

Last Friday night, I was taking Shayna and Skyler to Sugar Sand Park when we saw something slowly crawling across the busy road. we pulled over onto the shoulder after seeing it was a turtle. worried that it would get run over, I asked a passing jogger to get it off the road (on the red light of course). He gave it to me, and we held on to it to take it home later. Later that night, I did some research online and found out with 100% surety that it was a Red Eared Slider, an aquatic turtle. That made sense since there was a canal near by. We put it into the bathtub over night. The next day we decided we would keep it as a pet. I called a local pet store, and also called Gumbo Limbo, where the young man who I spoke with said he had 2 at home as pets. We went out and got some basic supplies (aquarium, filter, pebbles, food). Then Monday evening we went to the beach to find some coral and/or rocks to use in the tank, we also found a great piece of driftwood for him to use as his log. Saturday afternoon we took him into the pool, which he loved. he likes to swim to the bottom of the deep end, then when he needs air he swims up to the surface.

here is a great view of turtle up on the big coral rock. you can see the red stripe on his head which is why they call this species "red eared." he has green and yellow stripes:

another view of turtle up on the rock, you can see his legs well here and how he has "claws:"

side view of turtle, and you can see his shell:

turtle underwater, where he spends a lot of time:

turtle hiding under the log, he likes to do this:

turtle peeking up for a breath of air:

Turtle aquarium set up. we put this by the front of the house near the front door, it gets a lot of sunlight. we moved the rocks into the center after the first night because he tried to use them to climb out.

we got a turtle book. so far besides the store bought turtle food he seems to like cut up chicken. we also added 4 small guppy fish to the tank that we caught in the canal in the backyard, thinking he may want to eat them. one of them disappeared, we are not entirely sure if he ate it, as the other 3 have not been touched since.

we also still have not named him, and could use some ideas. His traits/personality is that he likes to swim, is aquatic, seems a bit rough, makes a ruckus in his tank at times. also, the turtle in the kids TV show "wonder pets" is the same type of turtle, his name is Tuck. So the only names I have thought of so far are: Tuck, Butch, Bull (as in bulldozer), and Rambo. So could use some suggestions....he really needs a name.

**Note: double click on the above photos and you can see the details more clearly.

Lake Boca Fishing

2007-10-06T21:39:00.000-04:00

We took the boat out onto Lake Boca to go fishing this evening. Lake Boca is close to the marina (just a bit north) and is in part of the intracoastal which runs through Boca Raton, the south part, and in the downtown section. It also has part of the landmark Boca Raton Resort and Club, which features the architecture of Addison Mizner (this is a big part of Boca history and culture, as Mizner designed most of old Boca, and his architecture features lots of pinkish, coral, pastel colored stone/stucco type structures). The lake takes on a pretty ethereal feel during sunset, as the pink sky accentuates the pink buildings. makes a nice peaceful setting for fishing and reading a good book (lately its been "It Happened In Florida" a collection of historical stories starting with discovery by Ponce De Leon).

The stern (back) of the boat, Manny, Shayna and Skyler are fishing:

Skyler's first fish he ever caught! Its a catfish:

Close up of Skyler with the catfish:

Shayna and Manny did pretty well also, they caught a few Lane Snappers and Mangrove Snapper. A few days later, Manny caught a sting ray.

Mystery Shell

2007-10-04T19:23:00.000-04:00

we find some interesting nature specimens in our backyard. Today we found this large snail shell. Not sure if it washes up with a storm, or if the birds eat them and then leave the shells. Skyler was using the "Guide to Seashore Life" book to try and see of we could ID what kind of shell/animal it was.

we think it may be a "Lewis' Moon Snail" at least that was the closest resemblence in the book.

Phonics Enrichment

2007-10-02T23:37:00.000-04:00

Every Tuesday Skyler goes to a phonics enrichment after his regular preschool class ends, from 1:45pm-2:30pm. The learn a new letter each week in order. This week they did letter F. They do a worksheet for each letter, which also has them practice writing. I asked his teacher for extras and each week she sends home extra copies so he can practice at home. he has been doing well, practicing his writing. After they finish all the letters later in the school year, she will start again teaching the letter sounds. Not many kids signed up, so there are only about 3-4 kids with one teacher.

Just yesterday Skyler started connecting the letter with the beginning of words. if you ask him to name a word beginning with the letter __, he can give you a word beginning with that letter.

Backyard bird spotting

2007-10-02T23:33:00.000-04:00

This great white egret was spotted in our backyard today:

Storytime

2007-10-01T23:11:00.000-04:00

I have been taking Skyler to storytime every Monday at our local library here in Boca. Its really good, and has a theme each week and follows the same schedule.

They always start with the "hello" song. Then sit and listen to 2-3 books. This week the theme was sisters (preceded by mothers, dads, and brothers the first 3 weeks):

Then they may do an activity or follow along like dance, such as "shake your beanbag." The she always does a "find the mouse" game where they have to raise thier hand and guess which colored house the mouse is behind. notice skyler staying safely behind the mob:

They will do a few hand motion songs like wheels on the bus and itsy bitsy spider, and then sit for a few more stories. Here is the stick dance:

At the end is a short movie (again in the theme) and then a craft. Today Skyler made a likeness of his sister, Shayna:

Mannys Birthday

2007-09-28T22:38:00.000-04:00

Today was Manny's birthday so we spent the day on the boat. We went out the Boca Inlet to the ocean and fished, then back inside to the Boca Lake (just after the inlet its actually the bay and on the intracoastal) where we swam, then off to a canal to try crabbing, only we did not have chicken bait so will try again next time.

Manny caught 2 fish while we were on the ocean. The one we kept was a mangrove snapper. This one wasa tropical reef fish, so we threw it back. Its a white grunt:

we didn't anchor in the ocean as we found out our anchor line was too short, and also it was a bit too rough. longer anchor line is on its way, and if we get out on a calm day we will anchor and swim.

we had the snapper as an appetizer at home before going to dinner at a nice and noisy festive on the beach spot.

The birthday cake:

Live image via webcam of Lake Boca:

http://lakebocacam.com/

The Marina

2007-09-27T22:51:00.000-04:00

We got a 20' bowrider boat, and are keeping it at Marina One in Deerfield Beach, but its almost in Boca since its right on the border. Its only about 4-5 miles from our house. The boat stays in dry storage - you call ahead and they put your boat in the water for you, then put it away when you finish.
Today was the day Manny moved the boat to the marina from Pompano, and we went there to meet him. Here is the view coming from the bridge to the dry storage area. The big building is where they do inside storage and have boats for sale, etc. The docks are to the left where they put the boats in the water. The little building you see is actually where the trash is, so cleverly hidden. if you walk down past the row of trees/boats there is the building with bathrooms, etc. (see earlier post about marina one).
Shayna's favorite thing, the vending machines. Shayna and Skyler are in front of the ice cream vending machine:

Halloween Shopping

2007-09-24T15:09:00.000-04:00

WE got the bug, and went to the Spirit halloween store in Delray, since the Boca one did not open yet. I have a plan for thier costumes, so have started getting some of it. They will be a bit evil this year- skull and crossbones, black, bloody swords...kind of evil pirates.

anyway, shayna and skyler had fun trying on various wigs, props and sunglasses:

Duck

2007-09-23T21:54:00.000-04:00

Skyler made a duck with his Knex toy:

Shayna's new blog

2007-09-20T23:22:00.000-04:00

I gave Shayna the old digital camera to use, and asked her to use the photos in her blog. She started a whole new blog, under her same profile, so please read it and check it often:

http://juicyfruitie.blogspot.com/

Surf Fishing

2007-09-19T20:59:00.000-04:00

We went to the beach at Red Reef Park here in Boca tonight to try surf fishing. after 5pm you are allowed to surf fish (at least in Boca). well Manny fished while Shayna and Skyler played and I relaxed and enjoyed the gorgeous view.

Shayna and Skyler playing:

Skyler using his fishing net to play in the sand:

Building castles:

Postcard worthy scenery at sunset/dusk:

My first experience where the kids could go to the beach after school.

Flip flops

2007-09-18T23:12:00.000-04:00

I got skyler his first pair of flip flops today, and he loves them. Its much easier for the pool and beach, and a basic requirement for living in SE Florida:

Fishing Museum #1

2007-09-15T23:30:00.000-04:00

Saturday we spent the day at the IGFA Fishing Museum and Hall of Fame, then to the huge Outdoor World store next door to it. I was very impressed with the museum, very well done, and one of the best we have been to so far.

Here is Skyler in the hallway/lobby, looking at the starfish. He loves starfish. You can see Shayna down the hall, she is using an interactive educational computer.

To start, you go into a movie viewing room to see an IMAX type movie about fishing. Boy did this movie make fishing seem amazing. They had a great soundtrack- I told Manny we need to play such heart pounding music when we go out on the ocean to fish. When the movie ends, as the screen lifts, it reveals a huge window and the building is made out to look like the bow of a big boat. Really cool.

This was one of the exhibit rooms, all about fish. Looks like this giant fish is about to eat Shayna and Skyler:

Camping

2007-09-15T22:49:00.000-04:00

Actually, we were in the Outdoor World store next door to the fishing museum in Davie. We had loads of fun and laughs trying out this tent and cot:

One of these days we may try real camping, something I only ever did once for one night as a 13 year old at sleepover camp, so not sure if that counts. I spoke to a mom in the tent who said there is a camping area in west florida that has a petting zoo.

we also spent a good deal of time talking to a hemingway-esque man in the GPS section figuring out the different GPS/fishfinder combos. we later found out he is the only employee there who knows the subject very well. he has become our outdoor world contact. we also have a favorite employee at Boaters World in Pompano, named Tom.