Voice Activated Blogging?

Kendall blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.


Kendall and her two besties - Elizabeth and Kyle - at her birthday party.


Jeff and Kendall on Thanksgiving.

Firefighter Carson at your service.

Princess Kendall being a bit shy.

Jeff and I at the UF/FSU game (Tebow's last game in the Swamp)

Carson and I on a recent trip to Disney.

Jeff and Carson at Disney.

So as I sit to write this post, I realize that it has been almost 4 months since my last post. There are several reasons for this:

1) The longer the time passes from my last post, the less I want to get on here and actually update the post.

2) Now that I am on Facebook (come on now...who isn't on there???), I feel like I'm able to keep up with all of my friends and family and they are, in turn, able to keep up with me.

3) Things have been really really busy lately here...and when they aren't busy - all I want to do is veg either in front of the tv or the computer and not really think. And although this blog is not a literary masterpiece, it is something I have to think about...

So - anyway - here we are...just a few days before Christmas and I thought that I would start afresh...anew...a...umm...what else starts with "a"???

There are so many times in a given day that I wish I had some sort of device that I could narrate into, have it read back to me, and automatically post it to the blog. As I'm driving the kids to school and they do or say something funny/frustrating/mind blowing, etc...I'd love to write something about it at that very moment...but...as I'm driving...and then distracted ten times over after that...I never write anything about it.

For example - in November my parents were nice enough to watch the kids for Jeff and I so that we could go to the Florida/South Carolina game. My mom told me the funniest story. As my mom was talking to Kendall, she said very sing-songy "Kendall Cathleen, please come here." Not upset...not angry...just saying her whole name. Kendall stops and looks at Grandma and says "Why did you call me that?" "Because that is your name," Grandma replies. "Mommy only calls me that when she is angry with me. Are you angry with me?" haha

So - Kendall is now 4 years old...effectively for about 2 1/2 weeks now. However....she STILL i having issue pooping on the potty. ARGH!!! In fact - we are now seeing a play therapist one day a week in the hopes that we can "work out" whatever the issue is. So far...nothing. So...we are back to charting. Can I just say how much I HATE charting?!?! I understand that we are hoping that the charting will help hold her accountable. But it is time consuming...and as many times as we have done charts in the past...I am SICK of them. SICK I tell you!!! Especially since they never worked before... Anyway - we are also doing a chore chart for her as well - and have set up a weekly allowance as well. IF she does everything on the chart everyday - she gets $4.00 a week. $1 to church, $1 for spending on whatever she wants (with Mom and Dad's veto power of course), $2 for savings. My financial advisor of a husband loves that part..."25% savings. That is good!"

Carson is...well...ALL BOY!!! And...he still isn't talking very good. We were worried enough, in fact, that on this last Friday we had the people from Early Steps (a program with the State of Florida) come out and evaluate Carson and his speech development. After about an hour and a half of "testing" (i.e. playing with toys and asking him to do/say things as they watched), they determined that he is in the "normal" range of development. He is on the low end of the normal range...but normal nonetheless. So...lately we have been doing a lot of "use your words" to try to get him to speak so that we understand him. Other than that - he is happy and into everything.

Hmm...what else...if I think of something soon - I'll use my VAB (Voice Activated Blogging) Device.

Merry Christmas!!!