April 30, 2008

Caleb stayed with me in the nursery this morning for the MOPS planning meeting. It was an easy morning, since there were only five kids in our room. Caleb had fun playing with the other kids. After that, we went by the grocery store, then we picked up McDonald's before heading to Jamie's school.

We returned home to a sparkly clean house, since the cleaning ladies had just left. That is such a great feeling. I enjoy it all I can for the five minutes before the kids begin messing it up again.

I made another spicy soup for dinner tonight. What is up with me and spicy soups lately? This one was a chicken enchilada soup. It was good, but, well, super spicy. Poor Jamie complained that her eyes were watering when she was eating it. Tonight she told me she had a stomach ache. Then, Caleb couldn't go to sleep. I think he may have had a stomach ache, too. Oops. They didn't really even eat much of it; they just used it to dip their chips in. I guess I had better take my soup-making down a notch.

Tonight I took Jamie to dance and then went for a walk with Vic and Caleb before picking her up. It was such a nice night, and it was good to get out and enjoy it.

Carson is over at Grammy & Grampy's house tonight. I am sure he has had a fun day, too. Tomorrow I am proctoring for the CRCT at his school. I can't think of too many things less exciting to do. But, they really needed people, so I signed up. I really hope I can be in Carson's class. If I can't, I'll try to go by his class and say hello.

April 29, 2008

Caleb was up with the sun again this morning with Jamie close behind him. After I tried to get them to go back to sleep for a while, Vic got up with them. I was very happy to get to sleep a little while longer.

Caleb and I went by Walmart this morning and then picked up drinks from Sonic before picking up Jamie from preschool. By the time we got to Jamie's carpool line, Caleb was snoozing. Of course, he woke up when we got home and had no interest at all in going back to sleep. So, that made it hard to get much done today. At least the weather was very nice, so they could play outside.

Carson had his first day of CRCT testing today. He said it wasn't too bad. I think he was kind of excited about it this morning. He was up early and got ready fast. He is also happy that he has no homework this week due to the testing. I get to proctor Thursday morning. I doubt I will get to be in his classroom, but I hope I am.

Now all the kids are tucked in for the night, and I am enjoying the peace. I am going to go fold laundry and get the house ready for the maids tomorrow, then I am really, really going to bed on time tonight. I am working child care for a MOPS planning meeting first thing in the morning, so I will need my rest!

April 28, 2008

Jamie got to stay for lunch bunch today. She had fun except that she busted her lip somehow. She tells me she ran into the swing, but that no one was swinging on it. She just hit the swing. I have no idea how that happened, but her lip looks pretty painful. Poor kid.

Caleb and I ran errands this morning and of course he got his cookie and balloon from Publix. After Jamie came home, Caleb had time for a short nap before we picked up Carson. Jamie played Webkinz. After we picked up Carson, it was rainy outside, so they were all inside with me. I let them make cards for Pappa Jim and then they actually played pretty nicely together for a while inside. Very little fighting; I was impressed.

Tonight Vic and Carson played Risk on the computer together. Carson loved it. I think this may be his newest game obsession.

Now I am off to catch up on some things on the DVR and also fold some towels, of course.

April 27, 2008

Kind of a slow day today. We were moving slowly this morning and decided to just go for Sunday School and skip church. We spent some time looking at the Carowinds website with the kids and checking out all the rides and the water park. We were planning to go to Disney World with the kids this year, but they had so much fun at Carowinds last Summer that they insist they want to go there instead. Looking at the prices, we decided to get season passes and go 2 or 3 times over the summer. It is way cheaper than WDW.

After Sunday School we made a stop at the "ice slushy store." I think this is becoming our Sunday tradition. Then, it was home for lunch. We spent the rest of the day hanging out here. Vic painted over the gold tips on the top of our gates. I'm not sure what the previous owners were thinking when they painted them gold. Probably the same thing they were thinking when they painted the chair railing in the dining room gold(that was repainted before we moved in). Anyway, it looks much better now.

April 26, 2008

Vic took the boys today and drove all over town doing work stuff with some fun stops in between. I took Jamie to a birthday party and then we stopped by Walmart and Publix. The birthday party was at the YMCA, just like the last party. This time, I got it right! I am glad Jamie got to go to another party there. I felt pretty bad that she missed most of the last one. Plus, I'm kind of hoping she'll want her party there next year, since it's relatively cheap and the kids all love it. When I brought it up to her after the last party she said, "no way, it takes too long to get to that place." lol.

Jamie got a tiny deck of cards in her goody bag from the party, so after dinner tonight, we all played some cards. We started off with Go Fish, which went well until Vic asked Jamie if she had any Jacks. Apparently, Jamie was quite attached to her Jacks. So she announced (in a loud, angry voice) that she was going to play some other game, where people don't steal kids' Jacks. Harumph. She also proclaimed that since it was her deck, she would be making the rules. And that there was only one rule: NO STEALING KIDS' JACKS. We probably shouldn't have let her get away with that, but we couldn't stop laughing long enough to correct her. So, we played another game with no Jack stealing. Jamie and I shared a hand. Vic won, but we had two Jacks, so there. :-P

April 25, 2008 Happy Birthday, Caleb!

My baby is two! It's hard to believe two years have gone by already. He had a fun day.

We started out with birthday doughnuts at home for breakfast. Then, Jamie and Vic had more doughnuts at her preschool because today was "doughnuts with Dad" day.

Caleb and I went to Hallmark, the Dollar Store, and Publix this morning to get a few last minute things for his party. He managed to get a balloon at all three places, plus a cookie at Publix. He was very happy with his three balloons.

I set his cake on the counter while I put away the rest of the groceries and a few minutes later, I saw him walking toward the dining room carrying his cake! He had tried to get the golf ball decoration off of the front and also mauled the icing pretty bad with the cake box. I couldn't be too upset with him, though; it is his birthday cake, after all.

Grammy & Grampy arrived first and set up the sand box part of the play set. This is their gift to Caleb along with some sand toys. All of the kids had a great time playing in there until dinner time. I think they will really enjoy it.

Caleb had a nice party and enjoyed every minute of it! He is finally tuckered out now, and I"m about to follow suit. It was a fun day, and now I am completely worn out! Here are some pictures of Caleb's big day. I will put more in the web album.

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April 24, 2008

I didn't get to help in Carson's class today because his teacher called and said she didn't need any help today. I was disappointed, but I had plenty to do around here to get ready for Caleb's party tomorrow. I felt bad for Carson because he looks forward to me coming in.

Caleb spent the morning playing with Grammy & Grampy while I spent the morning shopping for his birthday party. I am going with a golf-themed party since that is his favorite thing right now. Jamie went over after preschool and spent the afternoon with Grammy & Grampy.

Carson and Vic went on a tour of a TV station with his Cub Scout group tonight. Carson didn't seem too impressed. He did like the weather reporting part, though.

Now I am off to watch LOST (woohoo, LOST is back!) and fold some towels. Then I will get some rest since I will have a busy day tomorrow celebrating with Caleb.

Hey Ben:

Happy 28th birthday, little brother. I would tease you about getting close to the top of the hill except that I'm already there, enjoying the view. I hope you enjoyed your day.

April 23, 2008

Our MOPS tea this morning was so nice. I had two cups of tea and ate way too much food. It was all so yummy. Caleb stayed over at Grammy & Grampy's house and had a very nice morning too.

I spent most of my afternoon doing laundry, of course, and the kids played around the house and outside. Caleb took a nice long nap, but woke up grumpy and stayed that way all evening. Not sure what's up with him. I hope his ears aren't hurting again. We are going on May 2 to get them re-checked.

Carson is over at Grammy & Grampy's tonight. I talked to him briefly tonight. I had to talk fast because he kept accidentally pressing the talk button with his cheek. So, I had to call back a couple of times. He was trying to do his homework and talk to me at the same time.

I am looking forward to some free time tomorrow morning and also to helping in Carson's class tomorrow afternoon. Now I am off to put away all that laundry I folded earlier.

April 22, 2008

This morning Jamie and Caleb were up with the sun again. I really wish they liked sleep. At least it is easy to get everyone out the door on time when they are up early.

Caleb and I made a stop by Publix before picking up Jamie from school. Caleb has become very efficient at procuring a cookie and balloon at each visit. He has cut out the middle man (me) and now goes straight to the people who actually have the cookies and balloons. So, as soon as the cart pulls up to the bakery counter, he begins asking for a cookie, "tookie? tookie? tookie?" Then when we check out, he asks the bagger for a balloon. He even points to the helium tank, in case there is any confusion about what he wants, I guess.

After we picked Carson up from school, the kids all played with the kids who live across the street until dinner time. At one point, they were all upstairs in Carson's room. I heard quite a commotion but didn't hurry up there since no one seemed to be in pain. When I went to check a few minutes later, I heard Ann say, "okay now let's take out the fat one!" I knew right away she was talking about Froggy, one of Carson's aquatic frogs. When I walked in, they had just dropped Taddy back into the water. I guess I never really did mention to Carson that the frogs needed to stay in the water. I hope Taddy will be okay because Carson will feel pretty bad if he's not. I then had all the kids wash their hands and declared play time over because dinner was ready.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to our annual Tea and Testimony at MOPS. Should be a nice relaxing morning. :) Right now, I need to go get the kids in the bed so I can have a nice relaxing evening of folding laundry.

April 21, 2008

Jamie and I had a great time on her field trip today. We had some time to walk the trails before we met the farm animals. I thought the wild animals were very cool. Jamie wasn't too impressed. We saw Bald Eagles, owls, a couple of different kinds of hawks, a big bear, some wolves, a whole lot of deer, and a bison. Jamie preferred the farm animal area, where we saw chickens, a rooster, a goose, some turkeys, a pig, a cow, a couple of goats, and a couple of sheep. My favorite part was when the leader was telling the kids that chickens scratch with their feet to find bugs to eat. Then she asked the kids, "Do you eat bugs?". Jamie answered"Nooooo, we eat chickens!" lol. I will put a few more pictures from the field trip on our web album.

Caleb played with Grammy & Grampy this morning. He even got to go on a bike ride with Grammy. He was so worn out when we got home. I had no trouble with nap time today!

After Carson came home, the kids played with friends from across the street all afternoon until dinner time. They were all ready for bed tonight, even Caleb. :)

April 20, 2008

We had nursery duty at church this morning and we seemed to have a knack for making babies cry. We ended up having to go get two moms. So, kind of a rough morning in the nursery. A friend of Jamie's from her preschool was there visiting, so that was nice. They played together nicely the whole time.

This afternoon, I did a whole lot of laundry(and still have lots left to do), Vic and the kids washed the cars and the kids played outside. Later, Vic took all three kids to the dollar store and our neighbor across the street took two of his kids. That must have been a wild time in the dollar store.

Although I am getting tired of sneezing, I am very much enjoying this nice Spring weather. It was so beautiful again today! I hope that we will have nice weather again tomorrow. Jamie and I are going on a field trip with her class to visit with some farm animals in the morning. :)

More pictures from yesterday from Vic's phone

Pictures from yesterday

April 19, 2008

Somehow, we made it through Jamie's dance photos without destroying the costume this morning. This was no easy feat considering her class waited in the dance studio for about half an hour for their turn. We can dress them up like ballerinas all we want, but they're still four year old girls. They wanted to run, jump and dance, but a fall on the floor would be bad news for the white costume. So, it was like there was an echo in the room, with all the moms repeating, "no running" "no jumping" "sit still" and an occasional "UP UP UP off the floor!!".

We managed to leave her hair bow at home, so I had to call Vic to bring it to me. He got there less than a minute before they called the girls back for their group photo. I had just enough time to tie it in her hair. It worked out well because there was a new barber shop having a grand opening next door, and they had one of those giant inflatable slides out front. So, the boys stayed for a while I played on that. After Jamie's photo was done, we changed her clothes and she played on it for a little while, too.

Then the boys enjoyed a boat ride while Jamie and I ran some errands. I went ahead and bought the pink poodle Webkinz that she wants while we were at Hallmark. She can't have it until she stays in her bed four more nights, but maybe having it in the house will inspire her.

The kids played outside a lot this afternoon. We had beautiful weather again today. Carson had a water fight with some other kids on the street.

Tonight, Vic and Carson went to a cub scout cookout and camp out. They skipped the camp out part because Carson didn't want to stay overnight, but he had a great time so maybe next time they can stay overnight.

April 18, 2008

Today was Jamie's class picture day, which gave her a good excuse to wear a dress, not that she ever needs a good reason to dress up. Then, her class had a picnic, which she really enjoyed.

Carson had early release day today, so I picked up McDonald's for the kids before Jamie's carpool and then went straight from Jamie's carpool line to Carson's. We had about half an hour to sit there and wait for his school to let out. It worked out great, though. Caleb fell asleep and Jamie ate her happy meal. It also gave me a good spot in the carpool line, something that I am strangely obsessed with, and something that is hard to achieve on early release days. :)

It was a lovely spring day here today, so the kids got lots of outside play time. Caleb never napped, other than his nap in the car, so now I am tired from chasing him around all day.

Tomorrow is Jamie's group picture for her dance class. She is going to like this because she will get to put on her costume and wear makeup. I just hope she is in a cooperative mood in the morning, and that we can get through the morning without destroying the costume. I really, really wish it weren't bright white.

The pictures are of the kids enjoying the nice afternoon outside. That is gum that Carson is using for his two front teeth in the third picture.

April 17, 2008

Caleb got to go play at Grammy & Grampy's house all day today, and I enjoyed some peace and quiet. Grammy picked Jamie up from preschool, so she got to play all afternoon.

I spent my afternoon helping out in Carson's classroom. It was so much fun to get to be there again. I separated and organized some Scholastic book fliers for her to send home with the kids while the kids enjoyed some time with the counselor. She was in their class talking to them about preparing for the CRCT, which they will be taking April 29-May 1. After that, I went to the library with Carson to pick out a bunch of books for the class. Then I came back and read to them for a long time out of a "Judy Moody" book. I read over 70 pages to them!

While I was there, Carson's teacher gave me his results from another standardized test they had taken recently. I cannot believe how much Carson has improved in reading! When he started K, he could hardly write his name. He was in the Early Intervention Program for reading. When he started first grade, he was still behind in reading and still in the EIP. They took this same test at the beginning of this year, and we were thrilled that his score was barely inside the average range. He was taken out of the EIP halfway through this year, and when he took the test this past Monday, he scored in the 93rd percentile for reading. He is reading at a grade 2.5 level now! Wow! We are so proud of him! He also scored in the 98th percentile for math (grade level 3.8). :)

Tonight we ordered pizza to celebrate Carson's report card. He is on the high honor roll again! Then, he headed off to cub scouts with Vic. Now the kids are all sleeping, and Vic has fallen asleep too, in Carson's room. I am going to go clean up the kitchen and catch some Zs myself.

April 16, 2008

I had a much calmer day today. Caleb and I ran errands this morning, then we picked up Jamie and returned home to find that the cleaning lady had not only made the whole house sparkly clean, she also folded the huge mound of laundry that I had left on the couch to fold this afternoon. Holy cow was I happy! Woo Hoo!

We spent the rest of the day hanging out at home until time for Jamie's dance class. The weather was much nicer today, so the kids were able to play outside more. Jamie played with a girl from across the street for a while in the backyard. They had a tea party at the lemonade stand on the play set.

Caleb slept all night last night. What a great feeling to sleep all night! Well, it wasn't quite all night since Jamie got up once, but I'll take it! Today he took a nap with no problem too. He went to sleep later than usual, around 2:30. It worked great today, since Grammy picked up Carson, but it won't work when I pick up Carson because I leave at about 3:20.

Carson is spending the night with Grammy & Grampy tonight. I have no doubt he had a great day, too. I am looking forward to helping out in his class room tomorrow. I haven't been in three weeks, and I have missed it!

April 15, 2008

I am not sure what has gotten into Caleb since we returned from Charlotte, but he has been a handful. Sunday night he hardly slept at all. This morning, he got up at the crack of dawn, in fact, I think it was a little bit before dawn. Then, he got a blue permanent marker and scribbled on the couch, Vic's laptop case, and my kitchen notebook. Next, he refused to take a nap. I must have put him back in his crib 30 times. Eventually, I gave up. Shortly after that, he dumped my glass of water all over the keyboard. He finally fell asleep in the car in Carson's carpool line, but Carson kept messing with him until he woke up. Grrrrrrr.

Tonight is Vic's poker night, and I just got all the kids in the bed, so now I have some quiet time to attempt to remove all the permanent marker with some rubbing alcohol. I heard that works well. I just hope it doesn't discolor the leather. Any other ideas? Then, I will attempt to get the house straightened up because the maids are coming in the morning. I have already put Caleb back in his bed five times as I was typing this, so this may be a long night. I think I need to find some sort of gate that he can't climb so I can gate him in his room at nap time and bed time. The problem is, I can't imagine a gate that the little monkey couldn't find a way to defeat.

On the positive side, Jamie did sleep in her own bed all night three of the last seven nights. That's a big improvement for her. I hope she keeps it up!

Also on the positive side, Carson had a good day at school and came home and did his homework with no complaining, then he played with William outside until dinner time. He is in his bed right now reading one of the Animal Life books that he got from Grandpa and Gran. I think he is reading the Alligator and Crocodile one. That one and the Shark book are his favorites. We have been reading them every night and he is learning lots about the animals. I am glad to see him enjoying reading.

I am off to clean up now and try to get that marker out of the couch. I am officially ready for another vacation. Or maybe a full-time nanny. Definitely a glass of wine.

April 14, 2008

Here's us at 2:30 in the morning Saturday. These were taken with Vic's cell phone, so not the greatest pictures. I learned that I can be very fast when the fire alarm goes off. I hopped up, grabbed the robe, flung open the door, then turned around to see Vic still stumbling around in his underwear and mumbling something about wanting the door shut so he could get his pants on.

As for today, we were back to the regular routine. Jamie stayed for lunch bunch today, which made it easier for me to put a small dent in my laundry pile. Carson was glad to be back to see his friends today. Between being sick and Spring Break, it had been a while since he had seen them.

April 13, 2008

We had fun visiting with Eric and Anna yesterday. We got there at lunch time and went to a neat restaurant that serves barbeque and tex-mex type food. An odd combination, but everything was great! Then, Eric took us for a tour around the mountains and a drive down the Blue Ridge parkway (he only scared me a couple of times). We also went for a very short hike to a place called Beacon Heights. It is such a beautiful area there. I can see why they chose to live there. Eric is a pilot, so they could really live anywhere.

We got home this afternoon at about 3:00. It was great to be back with the kids. Although one of the first things Jamie said to me was, "I didn't miss you too much, mommy." Well, I'm glad she had fun while I was gone. :)

I am so tired and ready for bed now. I will share a few pictures tomorrow, including pictures of me lounging around the hotel lobby in my (hotel) robe when the fire alarm went off at 2:30am. That turned out to be a lot of fun(after the running down 6 flights of stairs part) because those hotel robes are so comfy, and the lobby is super nice and comfy too. So, the combination of the two was quite delightful. If only the bar were still open, it would have been perfect. :)

April 11, 2008

**This was my blog entry from Friday. Our 24 hours of internet access ran out before I got it posted, and I was too cheap to pay another $9.95 to start it up again since we were leaving the next morning. **

We have had such a nice day. This morning we slept in until 8:30 and then ate breakfast at the resort before heading out for a walk. Then I soaked in a mineral bath while Vic made some calls and answered some emails. Heaven. We did a little shopping after that, and then this afternoon we hit some balls at the driving range. Now we are getting ready to go out to dinner. The grounds and the hotel are absolutely beautiful and I've never seen service like the service here. We think there are more people standing around waiting to help the guests than there are actual guests, lol. We have decided that it would be kind of boring to work here. They really stand around a lot waiting for someone to need something.

Tomorrow we are looking forward to visiting with our friends, Eric and Anna, in Hickory. It will be nice to see them. We haven't seen them since last summer.

April 10, 2008

We are at the hotel, and it is very nice. We went out for dinner at an Asian Fusion place nearby and just returned to find our bed turned down, complete with chocolates. :) We are about to head out to look around the resort now


Our lovely parking lot view from the balcony:




Vic trying out the comfy robe


Whatever he's drinking must not be too good:



Here we are before we left Grammy & Grampy's house. I am wearing the necklace Jamie made for me:

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Goodnight message for kids

blog to follow later :)

April 9, 2008

The kids had a good time playing at Grammy & Grampy's house this morning while I was at my hair appointment. They collected rocks outside to paint this weekend while they stay with Grammy & Grampy.

After my hair appointment, Caleb took a nap at Grammy & Grampy's house while I took Carson and Jamie to the dollar store to pick out a prize, since Jamie stayed in her bed all night for two nights in a row. Yay! I have promised her a new Webkinz if she stays in her bed for seven nights in a row. Jamie picked out a doll and Carson chose an inflatable spiky ball. Poor Carson, his prize already got a hole in it.

I spent the rest of the day packing like mad for our trip. Vic is at the office trying to finish up a bunch of stuff before we leave. He is crazy busy, and one of his assistants has been sick. I don't expect him home anytime soon.

I liked the lady who did my hair today. She suggested all over foil with highlights and lowlights, and I knew I was going to like her because that's what my former stylist used to do. It came out very nice.

The pictures today are of Caleb examining and then playing with the practice golf balls we got for him at the dollar store, Carson a little tangled up crossing the monkey bars, and a pretty bad picture of my new hair cut. It was the best I could do taking a picture of myself in the bathroom mirror.

April 8, 2008

Basically, I spent the day today trying to finish up the laundry and pack for our trip and pack up the kids' stuff for their stay at Grammy & Grampy's house while trying to keep the kids from hurting each other, hurting themselves, or destroying things. I was reasonably successful, but man, they have a lot of energy. A whole lot. Now, my energy is about gone, and I still have more packing to do and one more load of laundry.

I am having my hair done tomorrow by a person I've never been to before, so I am a little nervous about that. I had a hairdresser I loved, but she moved out of town about a year ago. Then, I tried a lady who was nice but turned my hair blonde. So, I got to have more fun for a while, but blonde wasn't what I was going for. After that, I found a lady at another salon who was okay, but never seemed to believe me that I wanted full foil highlights. She would do color and partial highlights and it was never quite right. My hair wasn't blonde, though, so I went to her for a while. Now, she has moved away too. Maybe they are running from me. So, tomorrow I will try someone else. Who knows, maybe I'll get to be a redhead this time. btw, I want light brown with highlights.

I am very happy that Pappa Jim continues to do well. I feel like our family has been given a great gift that he is still alive. He even got in a little physical therapy session today! We are continuing to pray for a complete recovery for him.

April 7, 2008

Last night I got the news that Pappa Jim had a massive heart attack while at the physical rehab center, so the last 24 hours have been filled with worry and sadness. I am very thankful that right now things are looking good for him. He is off the ventilator now. I am also very thankful that he was at the rehab center when he had the heart attack. Having immediate help may very well have saved his life. So, right now I am feeling grateful and cautiously optimistic.

The kids had their first day of Spring Break today and we spent all day playing around the house and outside. Of course, Carson played some pirates of the Caribbean and Jamie played some Toon Town. Should I be concerned that I looked over Carson's shoulder at his computer screen and saw his pirate playing poker with some other pirates . . . and winning? LOL! He's just like his daddy.

Here is a picture of Pappa Jim with Carson at Carson's first birthday party. I always love watching him interact with my kids, and this is one of my favorite pictures of him. We love you, Pappa!

April 6, 2008

I learned an important life lesson today. When you get an invitation to a birthday party, read it carefully. Don't just glance at it, jot the info down on your calendar and put the invite away. Failure to read carefully may result in a trip out to the Tybee Island YMCA, 15 minutes of wandering around the Y looking for the birthday party, with a four-year-old saying"mom, are we lost?" about 20 times a minute, until placing a phone call to your husband, who READS the invitation and tells you the party is at another YMCA, just a couple miles from your house. This may be followed by being stuck in stand-still traffic due to two accidents on the highway leading off of Tybee for 30 minutes, while the four-year-old reminds you every 10 seconds that she REEEAAALLLY needs to go to the bathroom.



This was my afternoon today. The good news is we arrived just in time for cake and then Jamie had time to play with the other kids for a while afterwards. How embarrassing, but it all ended well.



The boys hung around here while we went to the party. Caleb napped, and I think Vic and Carson played Pirates of the Caribbean together. Carson is a level 21 now, so poor Mr. Roper has a hard time keeping up.



Tomorrow officially starts Spring Break - Yikes! Yay! And, only 3 more days until we leave for Charlotte! :)

April 5, 2008

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Jamie enjoyed her friend Rylee's princess party today. She wore her Barbie Mariposa dress and her Cinderella slippers with her butterfly princess head band. It was quite a combination. The girls decorated tiaras, had their nails painted, and even had a visit from Belle herself. She read the little princesses two stories and then sang a song for them. I think Jamie was a little scared of Belle. She wouldn't go sit down for the story. She stayed right by me, but she did have her picture taken with Belle before she left. After cake, all the princesses hit the play set in the back yard. They have a large play set, with a big clubhouse at the top of the ladder. There were 15 princesses all over it. I wish I had my camera for that. It was quite a sight.

Besides that, we stayed close to home all day. There were showers off and on all afternoon, so we were inside a lot. By dinner time, we were ready to get out of the house. Vic was especially ready to get out since he had been at home all day with the boys while Jamie and I were at the party. So, we took the kids out for Mexican food. I don't think I would say it was fun, since I never find eating out with all the kids to be much fun, but it was nice for a change of scenery. And, I didn't have to cook anything. :)

The pictures are of a very pouty princess before we left for the party, Caleb about to help Vic plant some Lantana, and Carson attempting to clean up leaves with a shovel. I guess he thought that would be more fun than using a rake.