Like Father, Like Daughter

"Annie, crying is not necessary."

Mother's Day Weekend at the Lake

This was a very special Mother's Day weekend that we got to spend with Brian's whole family! It was a wonderful feeling to see both Brian and his brother, Alan, spend time with their Mom on this special day. Even further, this day was special in that Cassie has little Zachary Robert growing happily in her belly! June 27th is the big day! There were lots of fun times on the lake (even with some rare pics of Mamma & Leia). Leia Rose and Annie presented Grandma with two special pots of violets for Mother's Day as well as their newest ballet picture together. It was really sweet to see the girls love on Alan's and Cassie's Chester as all three of them looked out from the front of the boat together, . . . and Grandpa taught Leia Rose how to drive the boat! Annie had fun pushing Mamma on the hammock, that is when she wasn't bundling in a towel on the boat to escape the cold of that Sunday. : ) We had Mother's Day brunch at The Buffalo Creek Grill, . . . and I couldn't help laughing out loud when Grandpa tried to quiet Annie's I-got-wet-on-the-boatramp crying with, "Crying is not necessary." I just love the photo that makes it look like Leia is driving and Annie is eating, . . . and there's no one else on the boat! Annie, who has been very interested in birds lately, really enjoyed going under the bridges to see the birds building lots of neat mud-nests under there, . . . and we ended Mother's Day with a good burger and Leia making a boy and a girl out of playdough. : )

DQ Plaground w/ Morgan & Will

I just love finding new playgrounds, especially one of those ones with huge wooden spires!!! Today Morgan & Will (and Mamma Janice) as well as Leia & Annie (and Mamma Noelle) met at a new playground that I only found with the following directions, "Get on 25 toward Asheville and turn at the Dairy Queen." Can you believe I found it!?! And the girls and I will forever deem it the "Dairy Queen Playground," and yes, we made a visit to the DQ for slushies before heading home. : ) A new tradition? I think so!

Annie Learns to Ride with Training Wheels

Here is a perfect example of how things can change from day-to-day with young ones at home! Yesterday, Annie couldn't! Today, Annie COULD!!! : )

Revisiting "Petshop Beach"

Oh my gosh, every single morning these days, Annie awakes and immediately says, "Mamma, will you take my pull-up off? . . . Mamma, will you play with me? . . . Mamma, let's play 'petshop beach'!" Granted, this was a big hit a year ago, but Annie has just rediscovered it again. A great way for Mamma to have her coffee AND join in the fun. Funny story, I remember vividly at three-years-old Leia Rose being very abrasive about anyone else's ideas in regards to play. Annie can be the same way these days: "Mamma, this is MY line of petshops." "Mamma, they are going in a CAR, not a TRAIN!" LOL. It's great to recognize a stage before it gets you down. : )

Leia as "Mamma" on Daddy Weekend

A garage sale (as you can see in the final pic) and a trip to Chapel Hill (to get Oma's sewing machine) took Mamma away from the family for some of the weekend, so Leia Rose decided very early on to be the "Mamma" of the family. She took the job SO seriously in preparation for the future! : ) She would get up and make breakfast for the family every day, make the beds, read to Annie at night, and after Annie would go to bed, she would work on the computer (ha!). I suppose this is Leia's thoughts of mothering in a nutshell, . . . SO fun to see! Meanwhile, Daddy would take the girls to the Western North Carolina nature center where they saw all sorts of wonderful animals together. It's always nice to have a "Daddy Weekend" once in a while. : )