Bad News

I broke my arm today.  I know.  Unbelievable!   I've decided to suffer through the weekend and go to the hospital on Monday.  My ortho surgeon will have to treat this broken arm the same way he did the leg.  Pretty soon I'll be brand new.

I was all excited to work on a new story today.  Hang in there guys.  I'll be back to doll stuff as soon as humanly possible.  

Dr. Cullen is Dr. Locicero

 The Twilight doll, Dr. Cullen represents Dr. Locicero, my oncologist.  I got to take a picture with my oncologist today, so I thought I would post him with the doll to see what you think.

Meet my oncologist, Dr. Locicero.  He is wearing a red paisley tie which coordinated with my red paisley top.  How ironic.  This is one of two men who saved my life.  He is everything a doctor should be.  I don't think I would be here if God hadn't led me to him.  His whole team is fabulous.  They treat you like family, and they REALLY care about you.  It is great for the healing process.  By the way, my numbers were excellent today.  He was so happy, and you know I was ecstatic.  Monday I meet with the surgeon who fixed my leg.  Fingers crossed that will be great news, too.

This is me falling over after Dr. Locicero moved.  "Hello, I'm balancing on one leg.  You're not supposed to move first.  lol."

On another note, I finally watched some of the Twilight series.  I don't have a clue what was going on because I missed the first episode.  However, it was great to see the characters so that I could compare them with the Mattel dolls.  Robert Pattinson plays Edward.  Man oh man, did he look good in that movie.  Mattel got the Edward doll all wrong in my opinion.  What a pity!  The Bella doll is okay, I guess.  They did a fabulous job on Alice and Victoria's likeness.  The Jacob doll is decent in it's likeness, but they made Taylor Lautner's nose a little too big.  I'm curious enough about the story line, that I will do further research to figure out what was going on.

Time to go Bike RIding

Leslie, who lives next door to Danielle, has decided to take advantage of the nice day and take the kids on a bike ride at the park nearby.

"Hello, ladies."  (Leslie)

"Hey neighbor.  Well look at you."  (Danielle)

"Yes.  I promised Ciana she could ride her new bike at the park."  (Leslie)

"By the way, this is my cousin, Sharmaine."  (Danielle)

"Hello.  Nice to meet you."  (Leslie)

"Hello.  Same here."  (Sharmaine)

"How long are you in town visiting?"  (Leslie)

"A few weeks."  (Sharmaine)

Julian comes to check out Ciana's new ride.

She dismounts, so she can show Julian all the bells and whistles.  Literally.

"Look Julian.  My bike has a horn."  (Ciana)

"Let me see."  (Julian)

Julian presses the horn about 3 or 4 times.

"Julian, that's enough.  We don't want to break Ciana's new bike."  (Danielle)

Joseph is getting quite restless just sitting there, so he starts getting fussy.

"What's up, Joseph.  We're leaving soon.  Hang tight."  (Leslie)

Sharmaine hadn't really noticed Joseph until he started fussing.  She hops up to go say hello to him.

"Hello handsome.  What's the matter?"  (Sharmaine)

Sharmaine continues talking to Joseph and pretty soon he is all smiles.

"Are you flirting, Joseph?"  (Leslie)

"Mommy, can I take off my helmet?"  (Ciana)

"No sweetie.  We're leaving in a few minutes."  (Leslie)

Rod emerges from the house carrying a recently awakened Jacob.  He greets the ladies.

"Hi honey. So he finally woke up?"  (Leslie)

"He's still sleepy."  (Leslie)

"Well, I kind of woke him up.  You know what happens when he naps too long.  It's impossible to get him to sleep at night."  (Rod)

"So are you leaving us?"  (Danielle)

"Only for a little while.  I have to run by the barbershop and take care of a few things."  (Rod)

"Can you take Julian with you?  He's a little restless."  (Danielle)

"Julian, would you like to go hang out with Daddy for a little bit?"  (Danielle)

"No. I'm going to the store with cousin Sharmaine."  (Julian)

"Well honey, looks like Sharmaine has left quite an impression on our little boy."  (Danielle)

Rod starts laughing.  He almost slipped and said, "I can't blame him.", but he thought his wife might take that comment the wrong way.  So he says nothing.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Sharmaine.  Hopefully, we will have a girls night out before you leave.  I better get these kids to the park."  (Leslie)

"Sure thing."  (Sharmaine)

Leslie says her good-byes, and heads to the park down the street.  Rod kisses his wife and takes off.  And as promised, Sharmaine takes Julian to the store to get some goodies.

Cousin Sharmaine Settles In (Photostory)

Danielle's cousin, Sharmaine, arrived in town a couple of days ago.  She's staying in Danielle and Rod's guest room, at the moment.  The ladies are taking advantage of a beautiful day, as they relax in the front yard.  A little background on Sharmaine.  She is Danielle's first cousin.  She graduated from Penn State University with a degree in International Studies.  Right after graduation she spent a year in Europe on a paid internship.

"Thanks again for letting me crash at your place."  (Sharmaine)

"Have you decided how long you are going to be in town?"  (Danielle)

"I may hang out here a couple of months, then I'll probably head South for a bit.  My roommate from college went to grad school there, and I told her I would come see her."  (Sharmaine)

"South as in Florida?  If so, Make sure you stop in and see my mom.  She would love to see her favorite niece."  (Danielle)

"Oh Auntie Roberta.  I haven't seen her since my college graduation.  How is she?"  (Sharmaine)

Danielle fills Sharmaine in on Roberta.

"Soooo, how's married life?"  (Sharmaine)

"It's great, most of the time.  It really helps that I have such a wonderful husband."  (Danielle)

"Maybe I will take notes while I'm here.  Not that I'm ready to get married or anything.  Heck, I don't even have any prospects for a boyfriend.  Are you sure Rod's not going to mind if I stay?  I don't want to impede on any newlywed activity."  (Sharmaine)

Danielle laughs out loud.

"Are you guys planning to have any more kids?"  (Sharmaine)

"Julian, can you go inside and check to see if Joseph is still sleep?"  (Danielle)

"Why can't Daddy check?  He's already inside?"  (Julian)

"Because I asked you.  Now go check then you can come back outside." (Danielle)

Julian stomps off.  He's clearly not happy.

"Oh my goodness.  He's just so adorable."  (Sharmaine)

"I had to get him out of here since you are talking about having babies.  The last thing I need is for him to run around telling people that I'm having a baby."  (Danielle)

"So are you saying you're pregnant?"  (Sharmaine)

"NO, silly, but it's easy for a 5 year old to get the wrong idea.  I will say I had a scare about a month ago, but it was a false alarm.  Rod and I are still discussing it.  He's all for it.  I'm the one who is still thinking about it."  (Danielle)

"I think you should.  You guys need a child that is from both of you." (Sharmaine)

"Mommy, Jacob's still sleeping."  (Julian)

"Okay, thanks for checking."  (Danielle)

"Come here cutie."  (Sharmaine)

"Will you help me eat my watermelon?  Then, if it's okay with your mom, you can go to the store with me."  (Sharmaine)

"Oooh.  Mommy can I go to the store?"  (Julian)

"Yes, you can go."  (Danielle to Julian)

"He is going to be spoiled rotten by the time you leave."  (Danielle)

"Just wait until the next one comes."  (Sharmaine)

"You are too much.  Please don't start spreading rumors.  I know how you operate."  (Danielle)

FYI - This Barbie Look doll has the best hair.  It is ultra soft and easy to manage.

Adele Worries About Her Students (Photostory)

This is a new story with recycled pictures.  Let's pretend Adele is dressed in the same outfit throughout. 

"You ready to go?"  (Mike)

"Yes.  Let me grab my bag."  (Adele)

"Hi munchkin.  Did you have fun at daycare?"  (Adele)

"Okay.  Let me grab my bag.  I have to stop by the restroom.  Then we can go."  (Adele) 

After a pit stop and a few goodbyes to other staff members, Mike and Adele make it to the car.

"Honey, do you want to stop and pick up something for dinner?  Unless you want to eat the leftover lasagna."  (Adele)

"Let's do the lasagna.  I'm not really in the mood to eat out."  (Mike)

"So how was your day?"  (Adele)

"It was okay.  I finally scheduled a meeting with the retired players."  (Mike)

"Do you think they will be on-board with your plans?"  (Adele)

"We will know soon enough."  (Mike)

"Mommy.  Mommy.  I want to eat."  (Sydney)

"We're almost home.  Drink your juice.  I'll get you something to eat real soon."  (Adele)

 The Jordan's arrive home shortly.  Adele makes a beeline to the kitchen where she heats up the lasagna, throws together a quick salad, and makes fresh garlic bread.  The family sits down and enjoys their dinner.
 

Afterwards, they relax in the living room.  Mike grabs the paper and Adele starts looking over some notes from school.  The more Adele reads, the more frustrated she becomes.  She even starts talking to herself.

"Are you okay over there?"  (Mike)

"Actually, I'm not.  Honey, it has become so frustrating trying to teach the kids simple English.  In this crazy world of social media, it's virtually impossible to teach the kids proper grammar.  You know in social media, anything goes. Unfortunately, the kids don't understand the real world doesn't operate that way.  Of course, I can't blame them.  That's the world we live in.  I'm hearing similar issues with the other teachers."  (Adele)

"It's not just the kids.  I think that's becoming an issue with adults, too.  Death by social media."  (Mike chuckles)

"Honey, it's not funny.  The more technology comes into play, the dumber we get.  Can you imagine what we are going to be dealing with once Sydney starts going to school?"  (Adele)

"It will be challenging, but with you as her mother, I think she will be okay."  (Mike)

"I sure hope so.  But now that I've gotten back into teaching, I am so worried for our kids."  (Adele)

Sydney comes over and Adele plays with her for a bit.

"Well, honey, I'm going to put Sydney to bed, and then I'm going to take a bath and go to bed.  Go give Daddy a good night kiss."  (Adele)

Mike scoops Sydney up into his arms and plants mini kisses all over her face.  She starts giggling at first, then she starts laughing as she tries to get away from Mike.  

"Good night my little princess.  I love you." (Mike)

After an hour of bathing and reading bedtime stories to Sydney, Adele is finally able to relax in a soothing bubble bath.  This is one of her favorite things to do.  She loves the feel of the hot water all over her body.  She would love to clear her mind and think of nothing, but her thoughts drift back to her school kids.

John Legend is playing softly in the background.  Adele sinks a little lower in the tub and takes a few deep breaths.  She hears fiddling with the door and knows that Mike is about to enter.  She smiles at the idea.      

Mike enters with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"I thought you might enjoy a glass of wine."  (Mike)
"That's awfully sweet of you."  (Adele)

Mike hands Adele a glass of wine, then he takes a seat on the edge of the tub.  The two of them relax and talk as they continue to listen to John Legend.  After two glasses of wine, Adele decides to get out of the tub.  Mike happily dries her off, then leads her to the bedroom.   

After a hot bath, good wine, and soothing music, Adele literally falls into bed.  Mike isn't far behind.  He climbs into bed next to Adele and wraps his arms around her.  He kisses her gently on he lips.  The lack of response lets him know that she is fast asleep.