THIS Again?

Sophia was about this age when I began my overly-ambitious attempt to potty train. 1.5 years later we were officially done. Needless to say, when poor Olivia drags the potty out on her own and asks to sit on it I am a bit ambivalent...

Let the Games Begin!

Some of my favorite people graduate from high school this year...and the party-hopping has begun! Sophia and Olivia love to celebrate - and they love this group so we are looking forward to this next week of festivities. They may not have their own Prince song...but Class of 2010 still sounds pretty impressive...

Charlottesville Cousin Time!

This is my older brother (photo courtesy of Sophia). When I was twelve my friend Mariah and I decided to start our own pastry business for the summer. We had never made a pastry but we were visionaries. In a fateful first move, we paid above Brother 10$ cash under the table to produce our "marketing materials."

We then baked chocolate chip cookies, got our tablespoons and our cups mixed up in regards to salt, and ended up having to toss our play-doh-esque cookies, after giving the first sample to the Marketing Director and watching him gag.

In low spirits, we decided to shut the whole operation down, but when we went to the Marketing Director for a refund (in the two-hour life of our company he had not yet produced ANYTHING) he refused, citing some sort of binding contract he had had us sign. There are many lessons here. Regardless, Daniel's entrepreneurial skills continued to increase over the years as my culinary ones decreased.

He runs his own company, Cloudbrain, out of Charlottesville and we went up last week for some much-needed cousin time with Daniel and Lindsey's daughter Addie. Buela rode with us for the rare opportunity of hanging out with all three granddaughters at once...

Lindsey and I had talked about different outings we could go on during the afternoon. A huge downpour stalled our plans for a bit and when the sun came out we realized that maybe we didn't need to go anywhere...The mud puddle out front was quite the Big Event.

"We've been caught! Are they going to let us do this?"
Woohoo! Sophia was very glad that she had opted to wear her new Princess Two Piece with a Tutu for the whole ride to C-ville. She was the only one dressed for the puddle.

Then Buela insisted that Lindsey and I leave her with the girls and go shopping. Say no more. The Downtown Mall was calling my name. Lindsey and I test-drove double strollers and browsed fancy boutiques in which I kept saying "Why, is there nothing like this in Williamsburg? Couldn't we trade just one of our Chicco's for a store like this?"

We returned just in time for the dance recital.

It was such a great afternoon - it's definitely time to start renting the summer beach house...

Summer Readin'

When we are not simply hanging out being awesome (see above), around here we are READING...They keep trying to get me to sign the girls up for the summer reading club at the library , but we need no motivaters - and I need no more paper around here or things to keep track of like a dreaded reading log...(do books read to Elmo count?)

It's Official

Sophia has asked if she can marry Judah. I gave my blessing. She will get married outside and wear her flowing princess nightgown. Fear not - she will wait until after she goes to college. According to her, Judah is not going to graduate until he is 34. She will graduate earlier - when she is 32. Then she will marry Judah and be a ballerina.

Leah and I have always had our concerns about the emotional state of such a union. But now there seem to be huge financial red flags as well...

Wild Weekend

We had a crazy great weekend including two weddings, a graduation, an overnight at the church, late night with close friends, a Tides game and collectively 3 trips to Chick-Fil-A.
And I left my camera in Charlottesville last weekend so I am dependent on camera phones to document all the fun - good thing I surround myself with people with such fancy phones...

Grandma sent this to me while she was babysitting Sunday night. I love it. Especially because I know the argument that immediately preceded it: "But Grandma, I don't want to hold Olivia's slobberoni hand!"

1981

Right now there are exactly 52 minutes left to my birthday and I am savoring each minute. I've always loved this day, even as I have gotten older and my means (and demands) of celebration have changed. This was not a BIG ONE but its the one before the next BIG ONE and thus I am contemplative

and incredibly grateful.

I contemplated as I got my birthday pedicure (upgraded to spa pedicure of course) and read my book (as good as it gets for me), as I watched my girls play in the water park, as I rocked them to sleep and as we had some good times on the porch with some good take out dinner. My mom still brings me a cake and balloons even though she was the one in c-section recovery all those years ago and Travis even met me at Water Country in suit pants to buy me lunch (there's nothing like standing in line for lunch with wet people in bathing suits).

It was a really good day. Life is a gift and if Oprah's right and 50 is the new 30 - Inside, I'm still barely 10...