Florida... Finally

Ben & I and Ginny & Vi all went down to Florida on September 16th and stayed for a week. We stayed with Ben's parents in Fort Lauderdale. The weather was HOT! By the time we got back we were cold here in Seattle, but glad to not be melting anymore. Most of all we had a lot of fun and love from Grammy and Grandpa, Thanks so much for everything. We love staying with you and doing fun things with you! Here are some photos of our journey, Enjoy.

This is on the way down. We borrowed a little DVD player. Our flight left Seattle at 6am so we got up really early. You can see the tired eyes, well except Violet who had had a nap on the plane and was interested in the DVD.

We spent at least 3 days on the beach. Violet found a coconut and practiced sitting with it.

Here we all are in the warm warm water. Nothing like your WA cost.

So did I tell you we left the kids with Grammy and Grandpa and hopped on a two night cruise to Nassau in the Bahamas? This is me on the deck the first night.

Bon Voyage!

This is the next morning in Nassau. We bought new sunglasses, because being Seattle-ites we lose ours frequently.

Here is a picture of our ship. No not the carnival, nor the Norwegian, not the one pulling in either (Royal Caribbean), its the Imperial Majesty boat that I've circled, sorry its a little hard to tell. Basically the size of a Seattle ferry, at least that's what I think. So it was a little choppy without the stabilizers. Next time a bigger boat!

This is us on the boat after snorkeling between Nassau and Paradise Island.

This is me in front of Atlantis the resort. Its pretty crazy. For those reality TV fans this is where Rob and Amber from Survivor and Amazing Race got married. We also saw Oprah's house and right next to it and the same size was her guest house. Mary Kay's house was there too.

This is us Snorkeling

Here is what the fish looked like. They swam right up to me I thought they were going to, I dunno, taste me or something. It was a tiny bit creepy but very cool!

Then we toured Nassau. Here we are in front of Queen Victoria.

This is me in a Market.

We even found a Starbucks. I wasn't homesick anymore after that.

Here is a cool tree. Ben is saying good bye to Nassau.

And one more cool tree. Nice and shady on a hot day.

Here is a picture of Nassau as we left port.

This is our room. Nice queen bed, fridge, vanity, a desk behind Ben, a window out onto the deck (when I looked out behind the curtian a little girl was staring in. We kept the curtains closed). Next time a window that opens out to the ocean. Hee hee.

Here is me looking out a door.

So the food wasnt very good the second night and we had our dinner early both nights so we missed leaving port and the sunset. Also this cruise was sponsored by a country station so it was a little red-neck here and there. But we met some really nice people and Karoked ("love shack" duet, sorry I forgot to video it.) and danced as well.
This photo was taken some our new friends on the last night. Thanks for all the fun!

Back in Florida!

We went to butterfly world with Grammy and Saw all kinds of butterflies. Broward County Florida is the place with the most different kinds of species of butterflies in the world.
This is Ginny looking out, but infact a butterfly landed next to her.

Here is Violet and I under some beautiful flowers.

Butterflies that are Violet!

Ginny and her daddy got to feed a parrot! It was a pretty cool place but very very hot that day, we almost melted to death.

Aparently Florida is the place to go when you are almost 6 months and only know how to roll over. Because Violet mastered sitting, got up on her knees (we missed the first when we were cruising), and learned how to swing. Here is the evidence:

Grammy pushing Violet

She also enjoyed swimming in Grammy's pool.

Ginny learned to jump and not be scared. And also learned to climb up a climbing wall at the park with Grandpa.

We really miss the lazy days of Florida. Hopefully we can go again soon. Here are some videos of the girls. First Violet admiring the butterflies.

Second is what happens to a 2.5 year old in an airport eating waffles at 4:30am. Dont try this at home.

Big Day at the Wilson House

Today, September 24th, was a big day here for two reasons. First and for most, it was Violet's 6-month birthday. We noticed she bares a striking resembelance to Livingston, the cabbage patch kid. What do you think?


Also, it just so happened that today I took and passed my general exam. What does that mean? I gave a 45 minutes presentation about what I plan to use for my doctoral thesis to a committee of professors who then grilled me on it for an extra 45 minutes. It also means I'm on pace to finish my PhD in one year. Violet was so excited by the news!

(Taken today)

Cows Answer

Violet is on the top and Ginny is on the bottom. Some of you may have used the fact that our desk has moved, since before Vi was born, if you have been to our place. Thanks for guessing.

Our Girls

My two cows! arent they adorable?

Which cow is which? Can you guess?

Labor Day Weekend

On Friday the Wilson Family hit the Woodland Park Zoo. It was such a nice Seattle day we had picnic lunch at the zoo. We saw all kinds of animals, here are some of our favorites. Butterflies, Ginny makes a great butterfly.

Elephants!
Violet is not an animal but she sure enjoyed the Zoo!
Snakes
Grizzley or Brown Bear (we learned that it the same bear just two names)
ottersFlamingos! I love how Ginny rests on top her Daddy.

some day I'll learn my excited faces aren't flattering.Ginny on a Flamingo nest and yes, she is on an egg.

And last and BEST of all the animals, in Ginny's opinion, the GIRAFFE!

Then on Monday we went to the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe. Traditionally being Puyallup Fair goers this was pretty nice. It seemed smaller to me. But we had a good time. Some nice lady gave us a free pass while we waited in line to buy tickets. Thanks Nice Lady!Ginny and her Daddy on an Airplane ride. At first she was really excited but then when she relized that it was going to spin she started to cry and freak out a little. About half way through the ride she said to Ben, "I'm all done crying Dada. Weee Weeeee!!!" Nice job changing your situtation.Here is Mark, Ben's Brother (can't you tell?), Annie, Ginny and I in the teacups. We got pretty dizzy on this one.Ginny sure liked the animals. It was really fun to watch her pet goats, pigs and sheep.

Oh here is one more over excited picture that isnt that flattering, better than the last one though. Its very important because I haven't had an Elephant ear in over two years. So I was glad to finally get one all to myself. But I think it was too much sugar just before dinner. I remember that for next time.

Hope you all had a great Labor Day weekend!

Princess Master

So I was watching the girls a few nights ago when I decided to introduce Ginny to Google. I typed in "Princess" and did an image search. The first image was a group of Disney princesses from Disney.com. She started rattling off names so I decided to test her princess prowess. Luckily I had a camera on hand...

Not bad, considering she's never even seen Snow White or the Little Mermaid. I'm not sure how she knew those...

By the way, I climbed this on Saturday with Mike from work. It's called Del Campo. More photos here.

Look in the Water ....... Wilson Girls Update

I want to start this blog out with something that I didn't think I was going to share, but then I thought this might be helpful to all you reading. Early this month I went to Madison Beach Park with some ladies in my ward. Ginny was playing by the water with the other children while us moms were on a blanket in the shade with some of the younger children. I was nursing Violet and looked up to check on Ginny and she wasn't there. I scanned up and down the beach quickly and then remembered Look in the Water! One month prior to this day I had heard a news story of a Seattle child drowning at a beach park in our area. One reason why the child drowned was because they were looking everywhere besides the water, another factor was the crowded beach. I looked in the water and found my Ginny failing to keep afloat. I probably chucked Violet and hopefully was covered as I darted into the water. There was a older child wading a foot away from her who could have grabbed her, but I guess didn't notice due to the crowd. She was starting to sink as I pulled her out. I quickly turned her upside down and did the baby Heimlich to help her spit up any water. Both of us were shaken but Ginny was just fine. Violet was also alright and I finished feeding her all wet. Thanks to the ladies who were with me for caring for both my girls. I guess Ginny must have been caught by a sneaker wave or tripped and couldn't get out. When I got to where she was the water was to my chest. I am still unsure how that happened having looked away for not very long.
So while you are near any kind of water and you think "where is my child?" Remember to look in the water first! Who knows what her condition would be if she had been in longer while I was looking somewhere else.

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On a more happy note. Violet got a new toy. She like to be able to stand and look at all of us rather than being on the floor so much. Thanks Grandma Nori! Violet has also started laughing. Especially at words that start with the letter "p."

Ginny after using the potty correctly nine times received a new toy as well. A stroller for her beloved Giraffee. Stroller is pronounce Stroyer just FYI. Ginny took Giraffia on a stroll to Starbucks (one block away) for a donut. It was really fun.
Here is Vi in my KEDS from when I was a wee one. So cute!
And I think this is Ginny in glow-in-the-dark Harry Potter glasses. What a goof!
I will leave you with some videos. The first shows you how crazy my two-year-old is. Which translates to how smart she is and what she says is amazing. The second and third are with her buddy Riley.

Ginny feeding Vi

Ginny seeks attention from Riley

Ginny sings with Riley