Fall Road Trip 2015

I know this is several months late, but better late than never.

In September, our family went on a two week road trip.  Since living in Florida, our vacations are usually either to California to visit family and friends, or to our timeshare resort in Daytona Beach.  We have always talked about going on a road trip with the kids and finally felt they were all at a good age to all go without it being too difficult (we were right).  We first visited some friends in North Carolina (the Germeroths who used to go to church here), then went to Pennsylvania and stayed with the Morrises.  Joel has known Jody and Belinda longer than me.  We spent Sam's 14th birthday in Gettysburg.  He and Joel are history buffs and enjoyed that aspect of it; I loved how beautiful it was and the nice weather.  We then went to Washington DC and spent two days visiting museums.  That was an incredible experience!  Ben could have spent hours in the gems and minerals exhibit at the Natural History Museum, and Joel and Sam could have spent so much more time in the US History Museum. After DC, we headed back to Florida and spent a couple of nights in Daytona Beach.  We found out my dad and Barbara were in Florida and they invited us to spend a night with them at a Disney resort in Vero Beach.  Needless to say, we had a full and fun vacation.  

The Fick and Germeroth  kids (minus Violet who was still "baking" in Loren)

Sam on his 14th birthday and Joel in Gettysburg 

Nate said he feels "important" in this photo 😊

Ben in front of some huge geode in the Natural History Museum in DC

Nate in front of a Monet painting

Lincoln Memorial

Darya did so well traveling and site seeing!

The boys in the lazy river pool in Daytona

Vero Beach with Grandpa Chucky

Baseball

Sam just wrapped up another baseball season.  He's been playing every spring since he was 4.  Not only is he a great ball player, but he's also a great teammate.  He's very encouraging to the other players and always respectful to the coaches. I'm so proud of him! Next year he'll be in high school - how did this happen??

Happy 7th Birthday Darya!

On June 9 Darya turned 7.  She is growing up so fast!  On her birthday, the boys had their annual piano recital.  If I can figure out if/how to post videos on here I will. 

Designer Nate

I cleaned out our linen closet this week and had some sheets to get rid of.  Nate took it upon himself to sew a shirt out of an old bedsheet.  He worked really hard and needed minimal help.  He opted for black thread to contrast the white fabric and came up with the Sea Food design.  I love my creative kid!

Boys Answer Questions about Me

A friend of mine posted her kids' answers to these questions on Facebook and I thought I'd ask my boys the same.  Sam (13), Ben (12), and Nate (10) gave their answers. They know me very well!:

1. What is something mom always says to you?
Sam: "Aaaaah" when I give you a massage
Ben: Stop being so handsome
Nate: I love you

2. What makes mom happy?
Sam: Massages
Ben: A massage from Sam
Nate: The house being clean

3. What makes mom sad?
Sam: An unclean house
Ben: When Nate and I, or Sam and I, or Nate and Sam fight
Nate: Us fighting

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Sam: Corny jokes
Ben: By showing me pictures of her when she was 12
Nate: By tickling me

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Sam: Same as you are now
Ben: Tall and watched a lot of horror movies
Nate: Me

6. How old is your mom?
Sam: 37
Ben: 37
Nate: 37

7. How tall is your mom? (I'm 5'6-3/4")
Sam: 5'6-1/4"
Ben: 5'6"
Nate: 5'7"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Sam: Go on cruise ships
Ben: Go on a cruise
Nate: Go to the Bahamas

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
Sam: eBay
Ben: Thrift store shopping and Facebook
Nate: Thrift

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Sam: eBay
Ben: I have absolutely no idea
Nate: Awesomeness

11. What is your mom really good at?
Sam: eBay
Ben: eBay
Nate: Everything

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Sam: Sports
Ben: Sports
Nate: Art

13. What does your mom do for a job?
Sam: eBay
Ben: Reselling antiques on eBay
Nate: Thrift and resell

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
Sam: Cheesecake
Ben: Carrots and hummus
Nate: Key lime pie

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
Sam: eBay
Ben: She's nice
Nate: Everything

16. What do you and your mom do together?
Sam: A bunch of random activities
Ben: Lots of stuff
Nate: Thrift sometimes

17. How are you and your mom the same?
Sam: We both like cheesecake
Ben: We both like nature more than the other family members
Nate: Our looks (when you were a kid)

18. How are you and your mom different?
Sam: I like sports, I don't like eBay
Ben: She's a girl and I'm a boy
Nate: I dislike fish and she does not

19. How do you know your mom loves you?
Sam: 'Cause she tells me
Ben: How do I not know?
Nate: In every way

20. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
Sam: On a cruise ship or to thrift stores
Ben: Probably Puerto Rico, but basically just a cruise ship
Nate: On a cruise ship

Aquarium

A few weeks ago I took the kids to the aquarium in Tampa as a homeschool field trip with our co-op.  It had been a few years since we were there last, so it was fun to explore it again.  Here are some photos: 

Bahamas Cruise

In March, my sister Janene and I went on a four night cruise to the Bahamas.  It was wonderful!  Joel is such a great husband and dad that he had no problem in holding down the fort while I was relaxing in paradise for a few days.  

    Big winnings from penny slots ;)