Adam Mama

He can’t wait to teach her everything and she just wants to soak it all up. What a pair. Adam and Ali. They are bonded in their love of music. I still remember Adam when he was Alis age with his handheld mini piano, the size of a deck of cards, playing Indian music by ear. It was amazing to see the talent flowing out of him. From that little toy he found a passion and now he has become a full fledged musician. Playing piano, guitar, saxophone and a girl every now and again. Ali couldn’t have picked a better uncle and if she inherits his innate talent, which no other member of our family remotely possesses, she will be and is one lucky girl.

Adam moved into the the dorms recently, I can't believe the man he has become. So independent, smart and loyal. He is applying to medical school right now. Where did the time go? I still feel like I should be able to find him in the yard searching for pokemon.

Eid ul-Fitr

Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking (the fast)". The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the twenty nine or thirty days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. Unfortunately Rob and I did not fast this month and allowed our worldly lives to interfere with our spiritual ones. One day I know we will step up and follow this tenant of Islam not only for the sake of religion but also in the improvement of ourselves. However we still love a great party and Eid is a time to celebrate! So Eid Mubarak to all!
On the joyous occasion of Eid ul-Fitr, please accept our best wishes to you and your family with prayers for peace, happiness and barakaat. Ameen.
With Ya Ali Madad,
The Kents

Long lost friend

Where did you go my friend?
I have been searching for you for the last couple of years and I can not find you anywhere?
You used to come to me in the night and stay for hours.
We would travel to exotic places together, just you and me.
Remember the time we were on a sailboat in the middle of ocean or perhaps you remember when we took a trip to that cave high up in the mountains. No?
I have so many fond memories with you. You have taken me to places no one else has, and no one else ever will.
Sometimes I feel you are near but just like a whisper in the wind you are gone.
I wish you would return to me, my friend. I miss our long uninterrupted nights alone, together.
My body would just relax and you would take over.
Hours upon hours we would spend together in bed.
Why do you elude me so?
Please return to me.
I miss you, my friend, Sleep.

The Bricks

Out and about with the soon to be new parents! Katie is going to have a scheduled c-section on Sept 2nd and we will get to meet little Ava Grace. I am so excited for them and there is no way to describe how wonderful being a new parent is but they will see soon enough. A whole new member of your family that takes up your whole world. They steal every ounce of your energy but somehow it doesn't matter. Maybe because you have none to spare or maybe because you are so utterly in love that you will give your everything to them, sleep, energy, food, whatever they want or need, its theirs, without hesitation or reservation, it all theirs.
We love spending time with Kevin and Katie but soon they will have no time for us and little Ava will consume their lives. What a wonderful reason to miss them. Check out their pictures here and here (scroll down to middle).

K and A

She loves him, sometimes too much.

04

Ali reading to Kaden

Soup Nite

The house was bursting from the seams, filled to the brim with laughter, food, and family. It was the very first soup nite at our house. A long standing tradition in the Herrington family to get together once a week and make soup from leftovers. Normally it is a smaller crowd but every now and again they ditch the leftovers and sometimes the soup and fill up someone’s home with everyone who can make it. My favorite times are when I look around and am surrounded by the people I love, by my family. I want so much for Aliya and Kaden to grow up with cousins and family all around them, never feeling alone. Logan was born a week after Aliya and I have been waiting since then to meet the blue eyed beauty, he was amazing and we are so glad to have finally meet him. Rob and I wanted to do something a little different and fun so we made up a quiz about everyone who attended. First prize, a can of soup, went to Aunt Teri!
Receipe for white chicken chili-
4 chicken breast, broiled and shredded (I used a whole rotisserie chicken)
2 can great northern beans (not drained)(I used 3 for a bigger batch)
1 8oz bag shredded cheese
1 16 oz jar salsa (I used 24 oz for bigger batch)
All in crock pot 2 hours on high, stir and serve

Questions from soup nite with answers-
Which Grammy got caught being sew naughty in pictures? Aunt Dani
Who lives in her own state? Shannon Cleveland
Who loves a dollar on their ears? Rob
Who is the lizard catcher? Amber
Who holds a baby like nobodies business? Uncle Toshi
This guy can Hahndle any car problem Lawerence
Who keeps us cool and warm? Darwin
Ques es muy bonita y artista? Caqrolina
Who took all the blame for her little sister? Aunt Anita
Who looks like Homer Simpson, Ben Franklin and Alphalpha? Kaden
Who CAN we always count on? Stevie
Who went from working for the man to being a Man- ager? Brent
Which pico de guy-o makes great salsa? Kurt
Which girl likes to dance with men? Amanda
Who is starting kindergarten? Skye
Whose name sounds like a department store? Lauren Taylor
Who is a future Tampa Bay storm player? JoJo
Who has the brightest blue eyes and has a new sister and brother? Logan
Western anyone…? Wayne
Who eats monkey cheese? Aliya
Who is walking for the tatas? Brenda
Who is the animal whisperer? Stacy
Who had a naughty tick? Aunt Teri
Who loves the richest plumbers alive? tyler
Who pulled a shotgun on a plastic gator? Uncle Pinky
Who loves a motorcycle in 3rd gear? Aunt Timi
Who went naval hunting? Nick
Who went to Jr. high with his sweetheart but never met her there? Jason
Who rescues pets from their cages at pet stores? Jake
Who is baking a yummy bun? Jenny
The snake handeler James
Who is the pickiest eater? Sydney
Orange you glad this guy can help with your home improvement needs? Frank
Who came home from school with pigtails? Ryan
Whose on tap? Zahra
Who is the newest Herrington sister? Sarah
Who can work magic with a banana and whipped cream? Kelly
Who is disappearing before our eyes? Uncle Gary
Whose nickname is peanut? Tracy
-ie for girls, -y for boys! Sammie

Our Team

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Aliya and Kaden Boogie

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chippen dales part 2

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My girl

Sometimes she says "stop mommy" but her 't' is lost so it comes out "sop mommy, sop!" when I kiss her too much, she point her little finger and wrinkles her nose in all seriousness and I fall in love with her and kiss her even more. Its beyond my control, I just want to eat her up, her little nose and lips and cheeks and eyes and ears and hair and tooshi and arms and belly and legs and feet and every little bit of her. She is so yummy. Sometimes she starts to giggle at me devouring her and other times I get more stern looks and "sops" either way its worth it to see her expressions and personality. She is just bursting with it, it pours out of her and she can't hold it back. It comes out in bunches and gets her into a lot of trouble. I want to rein it in occasionally but like Rob says we don't want to break her spirit, and boy is she full of spirit. She has this fire burning in her that gives her the personality, confidence, and attitude that will take her so far in life. I love her, my spirited way.

Beach

I have never in my life had a beach trip like this. We played to our hearts’ content in the ocean waves, in the soft sand and in the pool. When we were all tuckered out we headed up to our haven in the sky, the penthouse condo and believe it or not, it was all of 10:30 in the morning. With early risers for kids we got an early start and got to beat the angry afternoon sun and swarms of people. Rob and I have both been going to Daytona Beach since we were kids. The water was always a navy blue and kind of murky but not this particular weekend. It was clear, I mean Caribbean clear! I could see my toes even when I was chest deep in the water and it was the perfect temperature, warm enough to tolerate but cool enough to be refreshing in the hot sticky Florida summer. Aliya was not the beach girl I expected. I thought she’d love the ocean and run away from the waves while getting her toes wet, giggling the whole time but she wanted nothing to do with the ocean or its never-ending waves. She hated every moment we tortured her by having her get in. She could’ve stayed playing in the sand forever though. She dug it, threw it, piled it and did pretty much anything you can with sand. Kaden was at home in the warm breeze, he instantly fell asleep when we went outside. We cuddled him up in a basket filled with fluffy beach towels. On Sunday we managed to get him into the ocean, he could’ve lived without it but it did wonders for his skin.
Rob and I watched the moon rise over the Atlantic, taking in the sweat salty air. It was a magical trip to take the kids to the beach and smell the salt in the nape of their necks. We met a little girl, GiGi, about 9 at the beach with her dad and brother, she was obviously in chemo as her hairless head reflected the light of the sun, taking one last trip to the beach before school started. How lovely to spend quality time with your kids at the beach, for us and for GiGi’s dad.