Finally Got Around to Changing the Title of our Blog

Not an inspired change, but an appropriate one, as our island adventures are, alas, over for now. I also switched our honu picture for one of the kids in Astoria Park that Amanda Becker took it for us last spring. Just in case that picture of sibling-bliss makes you wonder, our kids do love each other that much all the time. Especially when bribed with Skittles.

The kids and I made playdough yesterday, and added food coloring and scent. Daniel mixed vanilla and lemon extract and his batch smelled exactly like Hawaiian sweet bread! Mmm. We had cookie cutters of graduated sizes, and Sophie used them to make layer "cakes" that she very sweetly offered to me: "Master, how many layers would you like?" Daniel, by contrast, kept barking, "Servant! I made you a cookie!"


We now have the all-important favorite coffee shop, in the Springfield section of town. It's a neighborhood in transition, close to downtown, with lots of beautiful broken down Victorians that are slowly being rennovated. The Three Layers Coffee Shop is a comfy, funky spot with lots of leather sofas, a Zen garden, homemade pastries, and local artists' wares on display and for sale. We spent a few hours there last week with some of Ryan's childhood friends; it turns out half of West Palm Beach now lives in Jacksonville. Sophie and Daniel played with the adorable Noah, the daughter of Heather, whom Ryan used to babysit.

Why anyone would leave their kid with a teenage Ryan is a mystery.


Church hunting continues. We've visited at least 10 churches in various denominations in the last two months, including a house church plant, but haven't found anywhere yet we'd like to settle in. We're afraid that David Ellis and Darcy Caires have spoiled us for any other pastors! This past weekend, Ryan attended a gathering for church planters, and continues to pray about whether church planting is an option for him, or whether he should pursue work in an established church or a local nonprofit.

We officially have the perfect kids for a small apartment. Even though they are sleeping on what is technically a king-sized bed (two twins pushed together) and have plenty of room to spread out, they prefer to sleep like this:

Ways to Amuse Yourself in Florida

Last week, we moved out of Craig and Marsha's house and are finally living in Grandma Ardie's condo. After the apartment upstairs was gutted (someone told us it looked like a landfill up there) and bug bombed, we were able to start bringing in our stuff. We still have quite a few bugs migrating down from upstairs, but they're usually so dazed from the poison (which is good) and large (which is very, very, very bad) that they are relatively easy targets. Daniel and Sophie have become quite the experts at cleaning up the carcasses with a little bit of toilet paper and a good flush.

We are still low on furniture and toys here: perfect for our 1 bedroom pad. We sleep on air mattresses and a futon in the living room; Ryan's high school friend James gave us a nice antique white dresser; and my Brooklyn Ikea splurge helps us keep our closet and toys organized. The kids are using their imaginations to entertain themselves. Two days ago they invented the game "Chicken Farmer." Sophie plays the Farmer and collects the eggs. Daniel plays the chicken. He lays the eggs.

In "Skydiving," Sophie and Daniel take turns strapping on a pair swimming goggles, pulling a stretchy purse over their heads, holding up a shopping bag, and jumping off a chair. My favorite part? When they get this confused look on their faces and say, "Mom, why are you laughing?"