Weekend Getaway ...


A reminder of the beauty of God's creation


It's wonderful to get a break from the every day respsonsibilites every so often and refresh yourself. We had that chance to take a quick trip to Ocean City, NJ with some friends last weekend and enjoy some wonderful food, great company, and a little bit (okay a lot) of fun in Atlantic City (without losing any money).

Thanks to Steve and Tami for offering their beach house as a great place for us all to crash. Thanks to Donna and John for teaching us a new card game ( and lightening our wallets). We had so much fun, but it was way too short!

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!



Interesting napkins at the Old Homestead restaurant in A.C.


The calimari was fabulous!


Donna did a wonderful job learning
chopsticks, with a little help from J-Bird


Four "sisters" enjoying dinner



Breakfast the next morning at Uncle Bill's


Claudia ready to enjoy her breakfast



Another beautiful ocean view with A.C. in the distance

What a Week (Part II) ...

I knew I should have never posted on Friday declaring the family "Healthy". It was just bad luck. One person in the family hadn't gotten sick yet ... me! And sure enough come Saturday morning it was my turn. I woke up with a headache that progressed through the morning on a very bad day to get a headache. We were scheduled to go to a wonderful wedding of a friend and neighbor of Silvia's family who they all grew up with.

I first tried to deny the headache, but it became much more apparent through the morning that this one wasn't going away. Silvia had to make the decision to cancel our plans to go to the wedding and instead we went to the E.R. (an equally exciting place for a Saturday). We were very blessed to have my niece Jesse coming up to watch the kids for the wedding, so she stayed and filled in very nicely. She was truly a Godsend. Thanks, Jess!

The long and short of it that they admitted me overnight to get the headache under control and I came home this afternoon feeling much better.

Thanks for your prayers to all who knew what was going on. I am not going to say we are all better anymore, but for now God has calmed the storm and we continue to place all of our faith in Him alone.

Have a wonderful and healthy week!

What a Week!


Isabella fell asleep on the ottoman before we could
even get her into bed

You've heard the expression, "Thank God It's Friday", well we are truly thanking God that it is Friday, after the week we have had here in the Tindall household.

Monday was fine and we were moving about our normal routine quite nicely. A little sluggish from the weekend, but other than that no problem. Olivia was playing around nicely ... until ... she woke up from her nap and (there is no pretty way to describe this) started barfing all over the place. Out of nowhere we went from calm and collected to CHAOS!! These lovely events continued through the evening and even after we put her to bed. We were in her room probably 10-15 times throughout the night and our little "Livvy Love" (who always has a smile on her face) looked so sad. These are terrible times as a parent, because we couldn't help her, it just had to run it's course. So we loved her, held her and did the best we could.

Tuesday morning, she woke up looking and feeling a lot better. She was lethargic, but we were able to give her PediaLyte mixed with water and she started to bounce back with only a few moments of sickness.

The rest of Tuesday was relatively uneventful, but Wednesday brought us Round 2. Isabella got up from her nap saying her belly hurt and within an hour she was "worshipping at the porcelain throne". At least she is old enough now to know when it's going to happen and get herself to the bathroom in time. She went through much the same routine as Olivia, but by bedtime she was pretty much done with the active sickness and slept restlessly through the night. She skipped school on Thursday and they both played together nicely. What I haven't told you about round 2 is that on Thursday morning, Silvia went to get out of bed to tend to Isabella and her muscles in her back tightened up so badly that she could barely move and felt severe pain in her chest. I watch way too much TV and thought she was having a heart attack, because she had pain in her chest and couldn't breathe. So I ran to get her an aspirin and was ready to call 911 if necessary. After it subsided enough that she could talk, she told me it was a muscle thing, not a heart attack (thank God).

So we managed to get her to the couch downstairs where she spent the morning. Thanks to her sister Anna, Silvia was able to limit her activity in the morning while Anna watched the girls. I, in the meanwhile, was studying for a very important test that I have to take next week for my new job. In the afternoon, we got everyone to nap time, I gave Silvia a muscle relaxer and she went for a good night's (afternoon's) sleep. I, also had to venture to the family doctor's Thursday evening for a digestive problem that I was having as the result of pain medication that I am taking for my knee pain. I won't get any more graphic than that, except to say that all is well now.

Today, we all seem to be doing better and we are thanking God for His healing and His comfort during our time of need this week. This week was truly one for the record books.

Stay well, wash your hands frequently during this sick season and we will pray that your family stays healthy. Here are some pictures of Isabella during her bout with the bug, they are sad, but totally expressed how she was feeling.



Poor Baby!


Isabella gives us her "zombie" pose

Is it January or June ...


Ashley, Brooke and Isabella found something amusing

The PA weather has been so warm for the last week or so that it is actually seeming much colder today than it really is. I hear we are due for some colder (seasonal) weather starting next Sunday, but who knows anymore.

Anyway, it made for a great playdate last week with our girls and their beautiful twin friends Ashley and Brooke. Mommy and Miss Karen got to hang out and catch up in the beautiful weather as well. Thanks Karen for being such a great friend and host!

Let's hope the rest of this winter stays this nice, but I think we will get slammed at some point (probably April or May).




Who can swing the highest??

Olivia found her way to the top

They are such beautiful girls and great friends!

Our little monkey on the monkey bars

In Search of Nemo ...

Marlin and Dori begin their quest to find Nemo

We had a wonderful morning adventure today as we went to see "Finding Nemo" on Ice in Trenton, NJ. As any of you with kids knows, there is nothing that comes close to seeing the expressions on a child's face when they are witnessing something new, exciting or that captures their attention. Our kids absolutely love Nemo! In fact, it was one of Olivia's very first words and she seems to use it in her vocabulary to express anything that excites her. The show was tremendous ... slightly scary at some points for Isabella with the fireworks and smoke.

I will share some pictures with you, but they really can't capture the fun that Silvia and I had watching their expressions. Enjoy!!



Even at breakfast they were excited about seeing Nemo


Olivia getting sucked in to the dreaded souvenir stand


Isabella enjoying her Nemo light-up rip-off thingy


Mommy and her girls getting ready for the big event


Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald came out
to "warm up" the crowd


Daddy and Isabella wait on pins and needles


The show has just begun and Olivia is entranced


The first appearance of Dory


Marlin with his new friend, Crush


The show is over and ...


... they are both out cold on the short ride home

Welcome to 2008 ...




Sorry for not posting for a while, but I rung in the New Year with a migraine and I am just getting back on my feet now. We enjoyed a wonderful New Year's Eve at the McClave home. Many thanks to Ann and Tim for hosting a wonderful party. It went downhill on New Year's Day, but I think I am almost back to normal now.

For now, we want to wish you all a happy, healthy new year. I've included some pictures of the girls playing with their Christmas dress up clothes.