Thursday, August 28, 2008

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Top Sail 2008

We have JUST returned from another wonderful (just short of a) week at SeaTulls in Topsail, NC. The girls had a wonderful time, weather was perfect, and between the 4 of us we managed to take advantage of everything that the Island had to offer. The kids chatted about seeing Dolphins, sand flea's, the turtle museum and "watching fish jump" all the way home, which for 6-hours was music to our ears. Being a mom really does get better as the girls get older!

As most of my readers know, I make it a rule never to publish the kids photos (faces) on my blog, and without their photos, it is hard to capture our trip. However, here is a sample. This collection includes the first time that Ms. Bean wrote her name in the sand, and Baby-Bee's new PET and PET Babies. Your would have loved them Patty!

Just shoot me an e-mail if you want to see the family photos and I will pass them on. They should be uploaded in a few days!

XOXO D

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Art Online

Its been a while since I posted to the "BeanBee Art Galary". Enjoy!
"The Garden of Sarah" by Ms. Bean. Crayon. Made during week 1 of kindergarten camp


"Ocean" by Ms. Bean. Sand, Glitter, Paint, Cut Paper, cereal, and Crayon. Made during second week of Kindergarten Camp.


"susies flower pot" by Ms. Bean. Pens and paper.


"Blue" by Baby Bee. Made at daycare.


"Mommy and Daddys Married Day" by Ms. Bean.


"Rainbow Fish" by Ms. Bean. Paper plate, paint, and tin foil.


"Flag" by Baby Bee. Paint and Paper.

Why Divers Shower

After three days of watching synchronised diving on NBC, I finally turned to Tom and asked the question everyone was wondering "why do divers always shower after their dives"? Tom (who knows everything on the planet) responded to my question and then the subject was quickly changed and forgotten.

So, this afternoon I went to log into my yahoo mail and staring at me was the following article. Coincidence, or is everyone in America asking the same question? Oh, and don't even bother asking because I will tell you, TOM WAS COMPLETELY RIGHT with his response. He always is!

Over the last three nights, NBC has led its primetime Olympic coverage with synchronized diving. According to the stacks of letters that have poured into the Fourth-Place Medal Investigative Unit Headquarters, you've all been watching but are baffled by one facet of the competition. In that case, you're in the right place. After successful forays into the cases of Cullen Jones' disappearance and the identity of the hot Paraguayan, Fourth-Place Medal will today tackle the mystery of the showering divers.
After completing a dive, competitors swim to a ladder, climb out of the pool and head immediately to a bank of showers that sit adjacent to the diving boards. Then, in full view of the crowd and NBC cameras, they shower off. Divers keep their suits on, of course, usually appearing only to rinse off their hair and arms. Oftentimes, the divers will receive their scores while still showering off. What's the purpose of this?
Theories have ranged from 'to get the chlorine off' to 'they want to have fun' -- seriously, that last one is a direct quote from NBC's diving analyst, Cynthia Potter. Neither are the reason.
Divers shower in between each dive to keep their muscles warm after getting out of the pool. The temperature of the pool water and the air are usually different (the pool is usually around 80 degrees, with the air temperature between 68 and 72 degrees). This difference can cause muscle tightness. To combat this, divers warm up in either the showers or a hot tub.
Mystery: solved. (Although we're still a bit unclear as to why the showers are out in the open.The water cube cost over $200 million to build. They couldn't have put a privacy wall in?!)
If you have an Olympic mystery you'd like solved, leave your question in the comments section. For regular mysteries consult your nearest library and head to the children's mystery section. The selection of Hardy Boys books will provide all the guidance you need

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Bush Bored

Tom, Ms Bean and I rewound this about 12 times last night to make sure we got it right. It is one thing for the President to appear bored and disconnected, we have come to expect that behaviour. However, Laura always behaved relatively proper, until now. Check out her disgust.


Monday, August 4, 2008

One Small Step for Mankind, One GIANT Step for Ms. Bean (and me)


We have been talking about today for an entire year! It has been the topic of MANY late evening discussions, contingency planning sessions, and sleepless nights. You guessed it, today was our first day of kindergarten.

The City of Alexandria has a wonderful program where they take upcoming Kindergartners and send them to "kindergarten camp" for 2-weeks in August, affording them the opportunity to find their way around the school and get comfortable with their new "status in society".

So, at 0900 today Susie, Papa, baby-bee and I, were standing in front of Susie and Papa's house (door to door transportation is another perk of kindergarten camp), waiting for the big yellow bus to remove our baby from our home and turn her into a teenager. I don't know who who was more nervous, Ms. Bean or myself, but we were equally tired because neither of us slept last night! Ms. Bean described the butterflies in her tummy and asked for the 99th time how the bus driver will find her house in the afternoon. I did consider calling the whole thing off a few times, and putting off Kindergarten until she turns 9, but Tom probably would have said "no". So, at about 0910 the bus arrived (late), and Ms. Bean climbed on with her purple back pack, and took her seat. For the rest of my life, the picture of her little legs taking her up the bus steps will be permanently etched in my memory (probably sandwiched between the look on her face the first time she held her sister and her wedding day).

I followed the bus to school (shedding a few tears and running 1 stop sign) parked and RAN to the bus so that I could be there by the time that she got off, in case she needed me, she didn't. She gave them her name and got into her line, stopping for a few seconds so that I could cover her in sunscreen. Then she turned around and blew me a kiss, telling me that she would "see me at 3:00 when the bus dropped her off". Ms. Bean and the purple backpack walked into the school with her new friends. The principle told me that it had been a good morning, only 1 crying kid and 3 crying parents. I took that at me "cue" to leave.

So, Ms. Bean found her way home, and already has 2 new friends (a girl named Caitie and the lady in the cafeteria who asked if she could have Ms. Beans dress). I still have butterflies.