Garden Party, Birthday Parties

Confession: I dislike our neighbors' yard care men. It's not their fault; they are actually nice people. But I get disproportionately angry at them for using a leaf blower and weed-eater next to my napping son's window. I mean, it's yard work between noon and two - that's asking for a heat stroke....and for an irrational woman to come outside and shout at you for doing your job because she needs nap time to happen so she can write a blog post or take a nap herself (don't worry, I've never actually shouted at them, or asked them to stop work). 

Please don't email me to let me know what this particular confession infers about my selfishness for my quiet, alone time.

Moving on. The week before last we ventured north again to celebrate with C and TPIII on their upcoming marriage, and L and my dad on their birthdays. As always, it was comforting and fun to be around our family - and we ate a lot of food. Our first weekend started with a Garden Party for C and TPIII and we got to meet TPIII's parents.

C, I want you to know that your brother took a lot of pictures of you during present opening. And I believe we could have a slide show of just your facial expressions - awesome. But, I was afraid that you might stop speaking to me if I posted all of them online....we'll save them for the rehearsal dinner.

Those flowers are real.

The happy, and well-gifted, couple.

Shower fun.

Monday, after a doctor's visit, the kids and I headed over to crash my parents' beach vacation. I think they probably wanted to rest and relax during their vacation but I brought an eleven month old with a fever and an energetic two year old to see them. The Great decided that since he didn't feel well, he would revert to his newborn sleep schedule; thankfully my dad is also not a great sleeper and didn't mind the company, and my mom says things like "Well, I normally get up at 4:30 so I'm awake. Why don't you go back to bed?"

L came on Wednesday, R on Thursday, and H and CT on Friday night. The water was warm and perfect for the kids to play in. Squirms called herself a fish and the Great crawled to the water each time he was put down on the beach.

As a gift to Auntie L, Squirms got a hair cut. Her aunties had been threatening to take her for a hair cut if we didn't do it, so, we visited a hair place in Panama City and asked for a trim "so that it doesn't look like a mullet anymore". I found it a bit funny that we were asking to remove the Mullet-look while in Panama City.

Two weeks later and Squirms is still talking about the pink candy they gave her to be still, and the sunset she saw on the beach with Grandpa and Gran.

And we wonder why the Great gets kicked out of church nursery for tackling other babies....

Squirms was ever so helpful to Auntie L when it was cake time.

Auntie L and her card from the niece and nephew.

Back in central Florida, R has had some work travel, Squirms keeps reminding us to look at sunsets, and the Great has recovered from his virus. 

This morning on the way to preschool, we pulled out behind a backhoe. Reflecting on my first response, I was surprised. I didn't think: Oh no, we're going to have to go slow, we might be late; it was: Best Morning Ever, a backhoe!! Look Squirms, a backhoe! because she gets gleefully excited over construction equipment. I am glad that Squirms makes me actually look at the world around me - we never miss an excavator, airplane, cow, bird, or sunset.

60 Years, 60 Stories

A couple of years ago I saw an article in a magazine (I think it was Ladies Home Journal) about a project a woman did for her father on his birthday. I kept the article. This summer my sisters, mom, and I decided to try this project and collect 60 memories from 60 different people from our dad's life and give them to him for his 60th birthday. 

As a child and teenager, I don't remember ever going out in public with my dad without someone who knew him stopping us to talk. I suppose that is common for all educators who spend over 25 years teaching, coaching, and administrating in one county. This memory, plus the surprising fact that since he became a grandfather we discovered dad is rather sentimental, made this project seem like the ideal 60th birthday gift.  

One of my favorite letters was titled "The Story of the Principal, the Librarian, and the Cigarette Smoke". Another, which showcased what a great writer my uncle is, started with "I have heard my Grandmother P was half Cherokee....". 

There were golf stories, Auburn football stories, faculty meeting stories, snow-skiing memories, and water-skiing stories. Lots of people mentioned hearing dad pray, and there were at least two references to him as a 16 year old school bus driver. And, of course, several cousins mentioned times they were in trouble with their Uncle - including soap in the mouth for a bad word, not being quiet while he is trying to sleep, and trying to yell out the window on the Panama City strip.

Thank you to everyone who made time to write down their favorite memory of dad. It was fun to hear his comments and additions to the stories as he read through them (it did take him two or three sessions to read them all), and I especially enjoyed stories from his child and teenage years. And mom made all of us read KHA's letter, which also made all of us cry.

PS - thank you BJS for the pictures....especially the pictures of his afro.

Pictures

Pictures!

From our last venture North. To the Gulf Coast.

The weekend was all about tractors for these three

National Naval Air Museum

Testing

Who doesn't dance under Blue Angels' planes?

Here is the ON button

Uncle TPIII, it's my turn!

Why is this green?

Hmmmmmmm....

Kind of impressive

Let the countdown begin

Squirms

Faster Papa!

I'm driving

Who is faster?

the Great

Walking like a big boy....almost

Good idea? Bad idea?

Good Idea!!

Chicken, Music, and Star Trek References

It just felt like going to get a chicken biscuit and coffee and our local Chick-fil-a this morning after I dropped Squirms off at preschool was the proper thing to do.

Also. I'd like to give the writer(s) of Girl in a Country Song a hug. I considered pulling the truck over so I could clap and cheer when I first heard it, but we were on the way to a pediatrician appointment and I try not to be late to those. I did download it while sitting in the parking lot after the appointment and then preceded to call both of my sisters to make sure they had heard this song.

I'm just now downloading photos from our last trip to the Gulf Coast. R, Papa, and Uncle TPIII took Squirms and the Great to the National Naval Aviation Museum while the ladies were having fun with wedding preparations so I'm expecting to have some pretty great pictures to share. We are preparing for another trip north and last night R was looking at Squirm's preschool calendar to see what she will be missing in class while she is gone. The answer is Transportation - which is a bit sad because the girl is OBSESSED with tractors, trains, construction equipment, cars, etc. - but R said when he read the calendar it said Transporter.
Sigh? Laugh? Both.
(For those of you not married to a Star Trek fan, a Transporter is something that only exists in the fictional world of Star Trek; it is a fictional means of transportation)

Someone will be one in just over one month!!

Hello Blue Eyes.

Almost ready to stand on my own.

I love this shirt on him. He added the drool stain himself.

Yay Dada!! You're hilarious!

Olan Mills shot.

These photos are from around ten months old.