So as you know the news on his last class… he finally brought home the proof! He is hoping to achieve these for every class so look for further postings about every 6 weeks!

Last week Travis got to feel him/her. Grady was bummed that he hadn’t got to but last night he had a huge smile on his face and was bummed when he stopped kicking and ran away from him pushing on my belly. He is a pretty excited daddy and I want to mark this as a great night for him!

So… My videos are kind of boring -I wish I was better at capturing the moment!

This first one is actually from a week or so ago when we had a huge thunderstorm (which Im beginning to think is normal around here). They were really scary at first but now they are just fun. This one was not as bad as the first one we were in when Travis and Rachel were here… and I took the video at night so watch for the lighting - it lights up the screen for a second, other than that its just sound. I also once again decided to video pretty much at the end of the storm missing all the good and exciting ones!

This one is of the ocean today in front of our house. This afternoon right at the end of the rain that has been going for 3 days strait the waves were so big and out of control - the ocean actually looked really scary. I again waited until later after it had calmed before taking a video but they are still a lot larger and more active than any given day here. It just started pouring rain again - coming down hard so maybe I will try another video later… maybe even get the guts to go out in the rain!

Today was Grady’s last day of his first class. Tomorrow he starts a new class on Diesel engines. He had his final today and got 100% and ended his first class with the highest GPA in his class with a 99.9%. Me, Bambino and the Puppies are all so proud of him!

Way to Go Hun!

Almost every night we go for a walk on the beach with the dogs. Since we started, when we moved here, all Daisie does is hunt for crabs. She digs, burrows and chases… but never gets one.

  
Until Tonight! She finally caught her a crab and was so proud. She carried it all around showing it off and was so excited…

Then Chicago stole it (but what else do you expect, that is what brothers are for).

 We are so proud of our little one catching her first crab!

As I am trying to wake up still right after dropping Grady off from school - I felt it! I wasn’t sure and then it happened again… right where the baby has been there was a tickle, a fluttering tickle. It lasted a few seconds and went away. I wasn’t for sure but since I had not other ‘funky’ feelings as we have going on.. I am pretty sure Little Bambino is growing up and I can feel him now! I was so bummed that I left my phone at home because I could have called Grady and told him before he got into class - but now he will have to wait and some of you reading this will know before him. When I told him that I should start feeling the baby soon all he wanted to know is when he could feel it. He is excited to be a daddy

I snorkeled! It was great….

Blue Springs is where Grady and Jamie went a couple of weeks ago for Graydons first Scuba lesson. So for Mothers Day weekend Grady wanted to take me there and snorkel. I think it was the best first mothers day weekend I could have imagined. Our friends Naaman and Heather came with us and we had a picnic in the shade after walking up stream to a very pretty spring (and very crowded) where we were able to snorkel and explore. This was my first time snorkeling and I panicked a bit and with it being crowded I got nervous of someone going to kick my stomach but other than that I really really enjoyed playing in the water. Then you can float and let the current take you down stream after to where you can get out. I enjoyed that part the most, it was really relaxing and fun. The water was a bit cold but once in you got used to it and it felt good. We went for a nature walk and saw a baby alligator! The water was so clear you could see the bottom and in some of the pictures you can see how clear it was. We saw some Longnose Gars and took a picture of the Bass for Lance.

Oh ya… and this is for dad - you have a long lost cousin that is giving you some competition with your camper shell!

Belly Photos for all of you back home….

We are getting all settled in here into our place in Ormond Beach, FL now and I have been meaning to send an update to all of you so here we go! We are enjoying many evenings walking our dogs on the beach as the sun sets. (I might add illegally walking the dogs on the beach) We have to go to the county just north of us to have dogs on the beach legally but that is a couple of extra miles so we gamble. Never the less we are enjoying it.

I forgot what it was to work a full day, but I’m getting adjusted to my new schedule. I have to be up at 5:15 AM every morning and now I’m up about that time on the weekends. Yuck!! I’m still making it to the gym about three times per week, but it is a little harder to squeeze it in but I’m doing it and still enjoying the workouts. I’m missing my work out partners though (Lance & Steve). I have a guy that I go to school with that is going to the gym with me but we have two different workouts. So we work out next to each other if it is feasible.

I have been in school now for a couple of weeks now and it is going well. I’m at a 98.7 GPA as of Tuesday but we had another test yesterday that I got a hundred on as well so I’m not sure what I’m at now. The course is definitely an accelerated program but there seems to be enough time to learn it all that is needed thus far. The week has had some moral issues with most all of the students. There has been a lot of disagreeing and frustration between classmates for some reason or another. I have it chalked up to; it is the third week or so and everyone is still getting adjusted to this program and the schedule in which is causing a little exhaustion. I always take some time to have exhaustion catch up with you when you are burning the wick at both ends. I believe it will all clear up by Monday though. I really enjoy my instructor that I have right now. He was an owner operator of a mobile marine service for 25 years in New Jersey. He is very knowledgeable in the industry and is open and willing to help you as long as you are open and showing efforts. I hear my next class is going to have a bit of home work in it but I’m sure I will manage. (The next course is Diesel engines).

As most of you know by now Katie and I went to ST. Augustine FL. Last weekend to get our Florida drivers licenses, and while we were there we got to go to the fountain of youth with the puppies. She has most all of the details of that trip on our blog already so I would repeat it in my letter. www.gradyandkatie.com I will say there are some neat things in St. Augustine and it has a lot of history there.

I’m working on getting my scuba certification while I’m here in Florida with the great visibility under water all around. So last Sunday Jamie, Peter, and I (two guys from class)(Jamie the instructor) went to Blue Springs to pass off a couple of my confined water dive skills and open water skills. (All part of the certification process). Blue Springs is a natural spring that comes out of the ground and runs into a river. The spring is great for an afternoon of snorkeling, diving, BBQ, swimming or tubing, and more. The visibility is great there. The spring is about 130 ft. down and at certain parts of the year is full of manatees. The entrance to the spring is like a funnel. Laying about 18 ft. below water across the main channel of the spring is a large tree trunk. Then below that there are many ledges, cracks and crannies that all have sea shells in them. Florida has sea shells in the dirt just about everywhere due to being under water years back. Anyways we burned up a tank of air and had a great day. I dropped to 26 ft for my deepest death for the day. I can’t wait to go back and finish my certification.

http://funandsun.com/parks/BlueSpring/bluespring.html
http://www.floridastateparks.org/Madison/default.cfm
http://underwaterflorida.homestead.com/springs.html

I hope that all of you are doing well and I would like to hear about it

I hope to get to see each of you soon.

Graydon

I have not painted in years… when I say years I think since I was a teen! But it is something I have been wanting to get back into for a while now. This started as a drawing as I was always better at drawing and then I ended up just going with it and painting it. It didn’t turn out quit like I pictured.. but not sure they ever do?? When I started I was going to hang it in the baby’s room but I will have to grow to like it before I do that, as right now I’m not the biggest fan And no… my tummy is not that big yet!

Then of course I had to mess with it in Photoshop: