A Visit from Baby Jace

Baby Jace, Wes, and Shea came for a visit to Nanny's house this weekend. What a sweetie! He's growing a sweet head of blonde curls to match his beautiful blue eyes. He's also trying so hard to walk and had a great time tottering around the living room. We loved hearing his first words and watching him dance - he's got LOADS of rhythm! Abby and Emily loved getting the chance to snuggle with him for a bit and the rest of us really enjoyed it, too!

Just a Fun Picture

Donald snapped this picture this weekend as we were leaving to go to a wedding. Emily's good friend Caitlyn came over to play while we were gone and she prepared for the visit by decking herself out in her very best finery. I LOVE this picture! This outfit just screams fun. When we left, she and Caitlyn were riding bicycles on the driveway dressed like this. Can't imagine what the neighbors think!

Summer Fun

Nothing says summer more than riding bicycles in the driveway and eating watermelon outside at a picnic table! After I stopped by the Farr House to pick Emily up this week, the girls demonstrated their bicycle skills for me under the carport. Then they needed a snack, so I sliced up some watermelon and snapped some pictures of them before we headed home for the afternoon. So cute!

Tea for Two

Emily and Abby spent the afternoon with me at school a few weeks ago and we got into all kinds of fun later in the afternoon. They watched the "Risky Cats" (The Aristocats in Emily-speak) in my office and had snacks on a picnic blanket. After we left school, we journeyed home to have a tea party on the patio. While I got the food ready and baked a quick batch of cookies, the girls loaded up on the dress-up gear. When they came downstairs, Emily and Abby were no longer with us - instead, I had tea with two very fancy ladies! They had fun snacking away on the patio with their little pinkies stuck up in the air before Mimi and Papa came to take Abby back home. I'm hoping for more tea parties and picnics this summer. It's just too much fun to see their outfits and eavesdrop on their conversations! They say the funniest things to each other when no one is listening...well, except for me.

Free Makeovers

Emily has lately begun offering what she calls "free makeovers" to anyone who will sit still long enough to be brushed, tweezed, and picked. All of Nanny's nieces have gotten the treatment during their visits to Nanny's house. Fortunately for use, they're OK with her brushing their hair and plucking their eyebrows! Donald and I recently got ready for our closeup during a lazy Sunday morning at the White House. We took turns photographing the experience for each other. What a good Daddy - I can't believe he sat still long enough for the lipgloss and eye shadow, especially since he hates creams and lotions so much! She started off his session by stating, "Don't worry Daddy. This won't hurt a bit!"

Happy Memorial Day!

We stayed pretty low-key this Memorial Day and cooked out over at Mim and Papa's house. Donald and I were watching Food TV this week (always a dangerous prospect) and saw a show with a Memorial Day menu that sounded fantastic. So, we loaded up on supplies and caravaned over to the Farr House to cook fried chicken, grilled corn, macaroni salad, and peach cobbler. Yum! The girls had a great time playing with the "rats" while Donald and Papa cooked outside. Later, they enjoyed dancing around with their sparklers in the back yard. Supper was a big success that we hope to repeat soon. The corn was just too good to only have once! Hope your Memorial Day was happy - and full of delicious cooking!

Breakfast Time!

Donald and Emily usually make breakfast on Saturday mornings (letting me sleep in, which is always SO nice!). They've turned up with some really interesting items - remember the post with the dry ice cocktails? When I woke up last weekend, I was presented with a platter of pink frosted cinnamon rolls. Yum! Food coloring makes anything taste better. Emily was really proud, as you can tell in the pictures. I hope no one in Food Service looks at these pictures. They would definitely recommend that she wear a hairnet in the future. Her morning head is incredible!

Wacky Day

Another discovery from Auntie Yam's camera - During the week of Dr. Seuss's birthday, Emily's school had all kinds of neat activities. They also had a wacky dress day, which Em was very excited about. We stayed up all night picking out the perfect clothes to wear - colorful tutu, leopard skirt, polka dot shirt, mismatched shoes and socks, crazy hair bow, you name it. Mom and Dad dressed her up the next morning and took her to school. When they picked her up in the afternoon, Emily was in a VERY sour mood. Em's teacher informed Mimi and Papa as they buckled Emily into the carseat that wacky dress day would actually be held the NEXT Friday. So, I'm the Mom who sent her child to school dressed like this on the wrong day. I promised her that in the future I would read the calendar more carefully.

Fabulosity

While looking through the pictures saved on Auntie Yam's camera - always a treasure trove! - I came across this picture of Emily's little foot. This is what fabulosity looks like....plastic high heels, tall socks, flannel pajamas rolled up high. All worn while performing at her little pink piano. Liberace would have wanted to score this look!

Graduation Party

Tonight we celebrated a friend's high school graduation with a party at her house. Emily had a fantastic time. They served all of her favorite food - hot dogs and barbecue potato chips! - and a really killer chocolate cake. Best of all, one of her teachers was there and allowed Emily to talk her ear off for most of the evening. We snapped some cute pictures of her which I've uploaded below. Enjoy this nice weather before it gets all hot and sticky!

Super Supper

Emily and I discovered a super new delicacy at Publix this week - purple potatoes! She was helping me pick out some red potatoes to go with the pot roast (that's right - you read correct. I cook a mean pot roast. Add one more recipe to my meager collection of specialties.) when we ran across a display of gourmet potatoes. Tiny red potatoes, golden fingerling potatoes, and Klondike Petite Purple potatoes. She was in love. They're sort of dusty black on the outside but are a deep rich purple like a plum when you cut them open. The pictures don't really do them justice. She had a special supper of purple potatoes and green beans tonight on her new frog plate. I wonder if I can container garden potatoes on the patio....