A Party-ful Weekend

The grand gala was on Saturday. We celebrated the bunny's 4th birthday in the royal garden with 11 of her princess friends and a special visit from Sleeping Beauty. When the kidlets were in earshot, I explained that since I grew up near Orlando, I was connected. *wink wink*
But the truth is, Princess Aurora is my girlfriend's 18 year-old daughter, Jessica. Earlier in the summer I asked her if she'd be willing to use her theater skills and perform princess duties at the bunny's birthday party. (So what if I still plan parties months in advance? It's my thing! *grins*) Jessica ran with the idea and went so far as to MAKE the dress HERSELF! I'm still amazed by her talent and have to tell you she made the perfect Sleeping Beauty. She never broke character the entire time she was here and all the little princesses thought she was the real deal! Even the adults were awestruck! So if you're local and need a princess for hire, I can hook you up!

Sleeping Beauty sang her way to the backyard while all the little princesses were playing on the playground. This is the moment Jordan saw her:
Jordan and Natalie - completely smitten!
She read them her story.
Most of the princesses in one frame!
They had a tea party.
I made special cupcakes for each princess.
Everyone else had to eat these. *grins*
Jordan said her favorite part was taking a picture with Sleeping Beauty.
I have to say, this was the best princess party ever!

If you want to see the rest of the photos, go to Snapfish.

The End.

Fun at the Fair

Noah's class took a field trip to the fair and I tagged along. It was a great day! The kids got to see a rodeo show with barrel racing, calf roping, goat tying, and bull riding. I'm not sure how impressed they were, but Noah did enjoy his Coke.
Everyone got a hat and Sheriff's star at the gate. Noah wore his hat for most of the day. I was impressed!
The boy had a blast petting all the animals. He was so sweet and gentle this year. (Last year he was a bit rough with the animals so we stayed out of petting zoos for a while.) I'm so proud of him!Lunch included hot dogs, chips, and cotton candy!
I hesitated to go on the trip because lately Noah acts up when I'm around. It's mostly because he's excited that I'm there. And to show his excitement, he pinches his friends and me more than normal. But I had so much fun spending the day with him and I know he was happy to have me with him. The extra pinches are definitely worth it for this smile!
This was the best group photo I could get. They may not be the most cooperative bunch for a picture, but they were exceptionally well-behaved and I was thrilled they let me hang with them for the day.
Finally, I have a video that will make you smile all over. At lunch, they played music and let the kids dance on stage. Noah's aide took him up there and they got their groove on! And it didn't take him long to get a girl!

Movie Date

Today was a milestone day for the bunny! She saw her first movie in a theater - Toy Story & Toy Story 2 in 3D. No easing her into the experience gently - we go all out with a double feature!

We both had a great time! I asked her what her favorite part of the movie was and she replied, "eating popcorn and sipping Coke. Oh, and eating gummy bears!" Yep...she's my girl! It's alllll about the food!

I wasn't planning on taking photos but when we first arrived we had the theater all to ourselves. Good thing I keep my little camera in my purse!

By the end of the opening credits, ten other people settled in. We had plenty of room!

We had to get the bucked-sized popcorn and Coke for the bunny's first movie ever!

Oh, I should clarify...the bunny's first movie theater experience was when she was in utero. Also, that was the last time I went to the movies. I don't have photos of that, but I do have this one of us together from today. Stylish, no?

Snake in the Grass

Warning: Do not read any further if the thought or sight of snake guts makes you want to barf. Instead, close your eyes and scroll down to some cute hummingbird photos and videos. I'm giving you the chance to retreat and wait for another happier, snake-free post. But for those of you who don't mind seeing reptile entrails, carry on.

Mike disturbed a snake this morning while mowing. After confirming it was a coral snake he ran over it with the lawnmower. It was somewhere between 16 and 18 inches long. The tail was mangled beyond recognition. The kids and I were inside during all the excitement, but Mike came in to tell me about it and get the camera. Being the nature freak (or is it freak of nature?) that I am, I wanted to see the snake for myself and take the photos. I need to start remembering to bring a ruler when I do this.

More Hummingbird Madness!

I just can't get enough of these little guys!

Hummingbird Invasion

We have guests.
It's the annual fall migration for hummingbirds. They're heading to Mexico for the winter and our backyard is along the way.
This guy thinks the feeder belongs to him. He chases away anybird who looks in his direction. Little meanie!
This is a girl. She's been sharing nicely.
Obviously, Mike is putting crack in the feeders.

Swings & Things

This is a sad, sad picture.
We had a droughtful summer, but the day they* came to build the playground, it rained. All. Day. Long. I'm totally loving the rain, but so sad because the kidlets stared longingly out the window at their new friend. The "new park" was very lonely that day.

The next day, there was rain again. But we got a break in the afternoon and the kidlets acquainted themselves with their new friend!
She's really, really happy.
He is, too. Really.




They played until it was nearly dark. Then they went for a walk by the creek with Daddy. On the way back, they saw a snake.
I'm thinking four feet. Maybe five?
We were all excited to see Mr. Snake! He's a good one...a non-venomous one that eats rodents and the like. The kidlets wanted to touch the snake, but we kept our distance and waved goodnight.

The next day we played most of the afternoon away.

Worth every penny!

*They built it in 3 hours. Would have taken us 3 days. And probably a lot of swearing.

Fencing

This series of photos is probably only interesting to geeks, like me, who need to photograph each step for posterity. Not that my kids ever will care about it, but it's my camera and the kidlets aren't allowed to touch it. Much.

Without further ado, enjoy 56 photos of the over budget fence. :-)

And here is a video of the back and side yards.

Firsts

First morning in the brand new house.
The boy's first day of school.
The girl's first day of school. She adores her big brother!
First in a self-portrait series so the frame is way off. This one just happens to be the best one in that series.Yeah, totally out of focus, but sooo cute!
The bunny loooooves her brand new teacher!