The Newest Lunch Mom

The newest thing that I have been LOVING is being a "lunch mom." Annie is finally at a point where she doesn't "need" a nap every day (or at least not until later in the day), so . . . off we go to school on Mondays and Thursdays now. The only people more thrilled than me are Leia and Annie!!! Leia has SUCH a sense of pride that her mother and sister come to lunch, . . . and the night before I always here, "I just can't wait until lunch tomorrow!" Here they are eating their twin peanut butter and jellies (with Sally Kate & Rudy, other kids at Leia's table) while I go around and open milks and generally help until it's time for the playground. Then we go out and play! : ) (And on one of the days, the big "wow" was a plethora of pill bugs.) : )

Bald Rock

After strawberry picking today, we had a nice picnic lunch on Bald Rock. Well, it was nice until Annie kept repeating the mantra, "my crotchie is hurting"!!! I was so worried about an infection that I ended up having Annie go around nude on the bottom, . . . until Maureen said, "Do you think she actually has to go potty?" Sure enough, as soon as I walked to the car for another diaper, . . . gush of potty! So the amazing thing is, Annie was holding her potty!!! Perhaps training is right around the corner. (Well, hopefully after Disney World, . . . for my sake. Ha!)

First Strawberries w/ Aubrey & Aurelia

Assembly

Rhubarb Harvest

First Dinner Outside (Many More to Come!)

Mickey Chain

The last time we went to Disney World (when Leia Rose was 2 1/2), I thought it would be a good idea to create a "Mickey Chain" to count down the days until we left. Here we are doing it again! : ) We made a mickey mouse head and used our cracked Easter egg shells for "glitter" (and to make it look like fireworks), . . . and then we used Leia's REALLY cool picture of the fireworks behind Cinderella's castle for a backdrop. (I just LOVE the mickey mouse shaped fireworks she made!) Then we made a chain for all the days left. Each day one of the two will get to rip off a link! : ) Hooray for anticipation!!!

The Nature Center w/ Aubrey & Aurelia

Summertime is Almost Here

A Mother/Daughter Luncheon

There is just nothing like an afternoon out with your Mom to make you feel special! : ) After bridal shopping today, Leia Rose and I had a reservation at the Grove Park Inn's Sunset Terrace (perhaps my most favorite restaurant on earth) on the most PERFECT day ever for it! It was clear and 75 degrees with a fragrant spring breeze! We had a table on the edge, and we just LOVED it! After our delicious meal, we went for a walk down to the spa, so I could show Leia Rose what it was like down there (very relaxing, even with sounds and smells!). I told Leia Rose that a "spa" is for adults only (Leia was a bit miffed), . . . unless it says "kids' spa" in which case adults are NOT allowed. I told her that The Great Wolf Lodge has one of those called Scoops. I knew what was coming next: "Maybe Shenan and I could do that the next time we go there!" : ) Anyway, I just LOVE this hotel where everything just screams 1920's, . . . because it truly was the spot for the rich and famous to come back them to "escape." So we ended our trip with a tour of all the famous people that Leia Rose knew who had stayed there (and, yes, she only knew Fitzgerald because I had told her about the "Great Gatsby Room" in the hotel based on my favorite book). Here they are: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Helen Keller, Alex Haley, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt. (Yes, there were many more famous people that I knew, but these were the ones that Leia Rose knew about. And I stood there amazed at just how much history Leia Rose actually knows!) : )