A Babysitter!!!...Katie, the potential babysitter, otherwise known by Jacob as "The Teenager" came by today to each lunch with us and play/get to know the kids. She was a really nice girl who will be a senior in the fall. She was great with the kids and real receptive to what I had to say and what we needed. The kids were very comfortable with her as soon as she got there. We had the initial "show and tell" where the kids pulled out all kinds of toys and tricks and then they calmed down and just wanted to talk and play with her. The other nice thing is she speaks 2 languages. She has taken spanish since kindergarten. Yea! Once the kids get comfortable with her, I'd love to have her speak some spanish with them. Hopefully sometime next week John and I can go out one evening and she'll watch the kids.

Sunny Days are here again...Finally a sunny day is here. The kids and I ran errands to the bank, the garden center, and Old Navy. And of course lunch at Mickey D's since their new Happy Meal toys are from the movie CARS. Jacob had already scoped it out...ha! We've got a great garden center near by. I got 2 flats of flowers for $5.49. Hot dog! So, during naptime I'll be planting flowers. That is relaxing...

A Little Surprise...What a nice surprise! It is a raining Saturday afternoon. About 4pm, our neighbor, Mr. Greenberger came by with an African Violet as a housewarming gift. As soon as he got here, it started POURING rain so we spent the the next 1 1/2+ hours discussing family, geneology, religion, talk shows and Barbara Walters(who he thinks is lovely and very smart)...ha! It was a lovely time and he is such a nice man.

Bikers Across America...Jacob and Julia both love to ride bikes. Julia is really good at peddling and not so good yet on steering...ha!

Rembrandt in the Making...Jacob and Julia were big painters last night. Both had a great time. It was Julia's first time to sit down and paint for any length of time. She didn't even want to stop when it was bedtime...ha!

Cool and Fancy Free...As of yesterday, we now have a second air conditioner for the back part of the house. We walked up and down the hallway last night like Julia does saying "wiind". And we can now join all the other proud Long Beachers with an American flag outside our house. EVERYONE hear has flags outside and even our house has TWO flag stands outside. So, we'll be all set for 4th of July!

Fun Factoids for Today...

#1: The area where Long Beach, NY is located is separate from the rest of Long Island. It is actually a barrier reef island. The total length of the barrier island is approximately 5 miles long and about 1/2 mile from top to bottom. It is separate from the mainland and can be accessed via 3 bridges.

#2: There are actually only 2 cities in all of Long Island (one of which is Long Beach). The rest of towns are called "Villages".

#3: According to a brand new poll by Reader's Digest, New York was named the #1 place where people are the most polite! See I told you folks up here are nice and helpful!!!

Good Day...We've had a big day! Took the kids to the park and then came back and fixed John a southern style belated Father's Day lunch...biscuits and gravy with sausage! Yahoo for us all!!! Then John watched the kids while I went off to get a much needed haircut. I then went to the rec center to work out and then downtown to Starbucks to read a book and relax for a while. The two pictures today are from Starbucks and the Long Beach City Hall. As I think of things to take pictures of I will so everyone can get a feel for what Long Beach is like.

Just Another Quiet Day...Just another quiet day. Had a rain shower last night and cooled things off. This morning it was pretty humid but as soon as it clouded up again, it was nice and cool so the kids and I headed back out to the park. A lady had brought a bunch of bubble blowers so that was a huge hit with all the kids...what's more fun than bubbles!!!

I think this afternoon may be "Man" Day for the Elliott men. Always a big time! Tomorrow, I get to get my hair cut by a professional so that is exciting to look forward to. I have been "creatively" trimming my own bangs for the last 3 months and I can tell you it ain't pretty! I usually have to follow up after my shower every couple of days because I find more "stray" long bangs...ha! I would not make a good hair stylist. I am not patient enough. One of my many flaws...but don't tell anyone!

Our little OSU Cheerleader in Training...ha!

Library Day...Well, we had our last Toddler time and Story time yesterday for the summer. Jacob is going to be in the Summer Bookclub and earn prizes reading books with us so that'll be fun. We are really loving our library and all their programs. Most of the summer programs are geared toward the older kids who are out of school for the summer but there will be a few scattered programs for the little kids. School gets out here on June 23. Can't believe next time school starts that Jacob will be right with them as a kindergartener! WOW!!!

Father's Day Crafts...Last night Jacob and I went to the library to make crafts for Father's Day. We had a good time and he is really proud of his crafts. John will be one lucky daddy. But it is really hard to keep a secret until Sunday! But we also came back with 2 DVD's we checked out so that helped us stay strong! Ha!

Dunker and Sniffer...Walked down to the park on the bay with Jacob and Julia yesterday. Jacob got a new jr. basketball so he spent of lot of time practicing his dribbling. Julia, as always, is obsessed with sniffing flowers and then "achooing"! There is hardly ever anyone at this park so we just run wild. They have a huge basketball court so Jacob can play basketball, play with his remote control car or ride his bike easily. We should have brought bread since the ducks came up to the fence on the bay but I forgot and they soon lost interest in us.

Late night bike ride...After dinner last night, we took the kids down to the pedestrian walkway. John and Jacob rode their bikes up and down the street while I pushed Julia in the stroller. She spends most days spotting airplanes in the sky and today was no exception.

A Beautiful Day...The kids and I went down to the beach today for and hour or two. It was a little windy but still beautiful. And BOTH kids did great until the very end when Julia wasn't ready to leave. So, it wasn't like I could read a book but I could just sit and relax and watch the kids other than one or two jump-ups to catch Julia at the end. We are REALLY making progress with her. It makes me really happy. It has been a successful week!

CARS...John and Jacob went to see the movie CARS today at the matinee. They both LOVED it! Jacob said it was his all time favorite movie. His favorite car was the red race car because it was FAST! They had a big time. They did popcorn and cokes and the whole thing and then afterwards went to Marianna's for gyros. All together, a big time at the Elliott abode!

Small Victories...Julia and I went to Toddler Time at the library today. We had a GREAT time! She did not throw one fit until the very end because she didn't want to leave. She even took her glue to Miss Donna and put her balls back in the bag like she was supposed to. In fact, she was one of the best behaved kids today. I was so proud! We did arts and crafts with a nice lady Bernadette and her daughter, Victoria. They are from Poland. Then she and I rode the bus back home (which she loves) and then we walked in to the bagel shop for lunch. Since we are regulars, Julia walks in and announces to the guys and the entire shop "Hi GUYS!" The men working the counter are from San Salvadore and they often give Julia free mini bagels. It was very cute! A good day!

Quite A Day...Today I found myself sitting at Starbucks reading a book and looking out the windowing while I drank a Green Tea Non Fat Latte (never even heard of it until today...ha!) And this was after spending an hour working out at the rec center. I felt like I was playing hooky. I didn't even know what to do with myself. Then I wandered down to the library to return a book and enroll Jacob in a one night arts and crafts class that is making Father's Day gifts. I am one lucky girl! John and I are taking turns watching kids so we can each go to the gym 3-4 days per week. I am determined to lose the rest of this baby fat. Since Julia is now almost 3 yrs old, I am finding it harder and harder to blame it on having kids. Ha! Guess it is time to take matters into my own hands!

Rubba-Dub-Dub...I now have a brand new full size washer and dryer. It is fabulous! John did a GREAT job getting it and getting it installed. Not an easy project. Yea! And as it is another rainy day here, I'll be catching up on laundry.

Closing, Sweet, Closing...Well, as of yesterday we closed on the farm. Yea! It is all done and the check is in the mail, so to speak. Now we can relax and really enjoy our life here in NY. We are now just renters!

Beachcombers...We had such a nice evening last night. After dinner when it was dark, we all walked down to get an italian ice and then walked down to the beach. It had been raining all afternoon so it was cool and dark and the waves were high and loud. They had put the lifeguard stands up on big piles of sand so we'd climb the pile and play king of the mountain. The kids were racing up and down the beach in the wet sand and there was no one else out there. It was really relaxing. We could hear planes going by but couldn't see them because of the clouds and could see a few ships out in the distance with all their lights. That was the only break in the rain because it rained again all night.

John had to go back to work early this morning but it is only a 2 day trip so he'll be home tomorrow night. We are having a washer and dryer delivered in Monday so that'll be so exciting not to have to lug laundry down to the laundromat anymore. I didn't mind doing the laundry but lugging it back and forth was a pain.

StoryTime Part Deux...Well, Jacob and Julia (and mom) went back again this week for Story time and Toddler time at the library. They have such a great program. Unfortunately, Julia had to be excused 3 times in the first 10 minutes of Storytime. We had MAJOR meetings in the bathroom. After that, all I had to do was mention going back to the restroom and she shaped up. Toddler time was fun, too, except I got a kink in my back holding Julia when she wasn't ready to stop singing and dancing and the group was moving on...Her teacher, Miss Donna, assures me that this too shall pass and just keep with it. She said many of the other students in the class had attended with older siblings so they knew the drill already but had been wild things when they were younger.

Good news...supposedly, we will be closing on the farm on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed! That will be a big relief!