Catching Flack

Hi Blogger Family and Friends,

I've been catching some flack because I haven't posted in so long. It's true...it has been an incredibly long time since I've had time to just sit at my computer, think of witty things to say and find cute pictures of our family. What can I say, "it's been a busy summer!" And, a hot one which actually makes my last post still relevant and current. But maybe not so interesting. So this is just a quick post to let you know that I am thinking of all of you and will be bringing our virtual life current throughout this week. So don't give up on this ol'blog. I'll post again soon!

How ya feeling...hot, hot, HOT!

No lie, it was 92 degrees at 4:15p in my house today. We do not have air and quite honestly, because we have such great cross ventilation in the house, there are usually just a few weeks out of every summer that we wish we did. Since today is the first official day of summer I'm thinking we are in for a hot one. Guess I'll be hitting up all my friends with pools this summer! In case you are wondering, it did cool off once the sun went down. Now it is only 90 degrees in my house!!!!

Friends and Fever

On Wednesday Abe had a friend over. But while everyone was doing this...





My little Megan was doing this...



She must have gotten a "bug" on our super sports Saturday. She had a fever of up to 102.4 on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. On Wednesday morning she and I had had enough! So I took her to our chiropractor and...



...no more fever. Only my happy, healthy Megan! Nice to have you back babe!

Not one for tears...

I've never been one for tears. So out with the old and in with the new. My new laptop is working great and I love it. We haven't been able to salvage any data from my old computer but I just can't focus on that, we've got new memories to make. Thanks for all the kind words. I'll be backing up my computer regularly from now on and suggest that everyone do the same!

death in the duarte household

ok, so maybe the title of this post is a little extreme for what i'm going to say next...MY COMPUTER IS DEAD! this wouldn't be such a big deal, i mean we have a newer laptop for me to move onto, but of course I BACKED UP ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!! On Saturday night when we came home from our "all sports saturday" i was so ready to post about abe's swim meet, syd's soccer tournament, and surprise mike with a father's day post, but my computer crashed and when i started it up again there was nothing but a black screen. we've been running a high-tech diagnostic program to try and salvage some data. we've been running it since yesterday afternoon and it's only 75% done with a lot of unrecoverable areas. things are looking pretty bleak. i guess what i'm saying is that this is a sad, sad day in the duarte household. the loss is HUGE (family pictures, art class curriculum, emails, address, and so much more). if you see me dressed in mourning for the next month i'm sure you'll understand. your condolences are greatly appreciated!

Splish'n and a Splash'n for Cecelia's 6th Birthday

There is nothing better than a backyard party with good friends, good eats, great fun, cool games, gifts and everything that makes you feel like "queen for a day"!

PREFACE: If you know me, then you know that Cecelia's birthday usually falls on our last day of school (or very close to it). In years past I have always been so busy with end-of-school-year-stuff that her birthday has often been last minute, haphazard, pushed aside, kinda forgotten, etc. This year I wanted it to special.

The idea to have a Splish Splash party with water games came easy, but figuring out exactly what we would do took a bit more thought. Then one day I remembered something that I had long forgotten. Something so great that it would be the hit of the party and the best part was that it wouldn't cost me a dime.

About 2 years ago my Mother-In-Law talked me into letting her purchase a HUGE inflatable water slide. "Banzai Falls" has sat unopened and unused in our garage for 2 years. Out of the box it is 10 feet tall and 22 feet long so I'm sure you can see why I have been reluctant to take it out and succumb to the care and nurturing of such a huge piece of equipment...until now! When I told Cecelia that this would be the highlight of her party she could hardly contain herself.

I knew "Banzai Falls" would be great, but a REALLY great party must have games with prizes. The 3 games we came up with were sure to keep the girls splishing and splashing a day long. Celia opted for a "Build-Your-Own-Sundae" Bar instead of a cake or cupcakes. Great! I'm all for easy! Lastly, a going home goody to remember the day by was all that was needed to complete the party package. I really wanted to make the towel tote that Lindsey made for Gracie's Splish Splash party (so totally cute), but since I didn't even get around to sending out the extremely cute "beach tote" party invitations, there was no way I was going to get around to making towel totes. So, I did the next best thing. I told Cecelia that she could pick out whatever she wanted for goody bags. Let me just say that when she saw the fake, rubber, crooked/stained teeth she was sold. I tried to explain that they didn't really go with her "theme" and that maybe the beach ball pencils would be a better choice but she wouldn't have it. So, into the goody bags went the fake teeth along with mini cameras, a bouncy ball, bubbles, flip-flop stickers (my pick), and a TJ's Organic lollipop (soooo yummy with no yucky).

We had an awesome group of girls. Basically every girl in Celia's class and a few other close friends (if they had an older sister then she came too). We blared the music, Mike roasted hot dogs, and we chomped on watermelon. The girls loved the water slide, played games and finished things off with an impromptu "freeze dance" contest.

Happy birthday Cecelia! I loved the party because it was fun and easy. Just like you!

We're Here

Ok...so now I have a blog. Wow, I'm feeling totally vulnerable right now. Is this normal. Will it pass? Will I get over the feeling that I'm supposed to be typing something profound...something that will stand the test of time? Basically, I'm just trying to create a place where our family can visit the kids. At the same time, I want this to be something more. I guess I'll just have to open up and see what happens. I have a blog...the Duarte's have a blog...I guess you can say "we've arrived". Welcome to Destination Duarte.