Dinner Theater

Saturday night we sat down to enjoy a nice, normal family dinner. Anna was excited about the porkchops.

Wyatt was ready to dig in to the grilled shrimp.

Me? I was all about the steak.

Doc was excited about all of the meat and the salad too. (Side note: Aunt K, I made the salad you gave me the recipe for. We have it all the time because it is the ONLY salad dressing that Doc will eat. You should feel proud.)

Each of the kids were told they had to eat some spinach leaves. Anna gobbled hers up like they were her favorite food. Wyatt, on the other hand, took a lot of coercing just to get a small piece down.  I bribed him with a super awesome surprise dessert, which got me a response of something like "it better be worth it, or else."

I told him I was shakin-in-my-shoes scared.

And that's how the "Take My Picture of This Emotion" game got started.

Anna showed excitement for the super awesome surprise dessert.

Wyatt was sad about having to eat spinach. (Look closely for the "tears" he added from the bathroom sink.)

Anna had to try out the fake tears too.

"My brother is weird."

"Eureka!"

"Chaaaarge!"

"I just won the lottery but I have to give it to my sister."

Oh, did I mention there were muscle contests too? Don't mess with us...we work out.

After our dinner theater wound down and the dishes were all cleaned, our kitchen bar turned into a soda fountain shop so that I could come up with a super awesome surprise dessert.

You're dying to know what I came up with, aren't you?

Homemade chocolate milkshakes topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and a strawberry garnish.

We decided to have our dessert out on the balcony since it was a nice night.

One pleased little girl...

...and a semi-pleased little boy. (He probably would've preferred just a bowl of strawberries.)

And one happy daddy too.

With our bellies full of chocolate goodness, it did not take much to get everyone into bed that night.

New Playset

What do you do when you have a big area in your backyard that doesn't grow grass...

...plus five grandchildren of varying ages, shapes, and sizes?

Why, you buy one of these, of course!

It arrived at my parents' house on Wednesday, so they decided to have a very last-minute cookout slash birthday party for my brother. Want to know how to torture a five-year-old? Invite him over to play on the new playset before it's been put together. The poor little guy just had to sit and wait.

Although I think it ws torture on my dad too. I really think he wanted to give them a hand instead of just standing and watching.

Jett showed me all of his silly bands while we waited. He has lots of them, but the little stinker traded my favorite pink pig one!

I told him I was going to get him for that so he tried to hide from me. My camera still found him.

And then finally, finally, the playset was ready!!

A really big boy was on this side of the swing...

...and a much smaller boy on the other.

I learned that I apparently don't have any upper body strength because I can no longer do the monkey bars. I'll just have to stick to helping the little people.

When you were little, did you and your friends make "trains" and go down the slide together? My friends and I did. It's a lot harder to do now that I have big-girl hips.  We might've gotten stuck around the first "hump" of the slide.

If your mom takes whatever you just picked up off the ground away from you, it might hurt your feelings.

The playset has a mini picnic table for all the little kids, so my dad built a regular-sized picnic table for all of us bigger people.

I think the birthday boy enjoyed his dinner.

And these two guys enjoyed a good game of cornhole.

So it's safe to say the last-minute cookout was a success and that the new playset is a hit. We've already logged several hours on it this week and I have a feeling there will be lots more logged this summer. There's still lots more work to be done - we plan on framing out the play area with railroad ties and then adding gravel/mulch. And there's also been talk about adding a seesaw.

We would also like to name our "playground" and this is where we need your help.  If you know our last name, that could be used in it. And my parents are called Mimi and Poppy by the grandkids, so those could be used too. Here's what we've come up with so far:

• Poppy's Playground
• Poppy's Play World
• Never Never Land
• S----- Center (last name - I think this sounds more like a mental institute myself.)
• S----- Sunday
• S----- Park

I'm not sure any of these feel right. Does anyone out there have any suggestions?

Birthday Boys

Today is my little buddy's fifth birthday. I missed his birthday party this past weekend since we were in New York. That's the first thing he said to me when I saw him on Sunday...talk about a heartbreaker.  I was hoping he wouldn't notice that we weren't there.

I called him this morning on his way to school to sing to him and wish him a happy birthday. We talked for 10 or so minutes, but I have no idea what we talked about. I caught bits and pieces - something about a snapping turtle, a new red shirt, his bike, and the road is flooded.

He's turning into a little man.  I asked him if he woke up with whiskers today but he said "it's still just skin."

The title of this post is plural because his daddy's birthday is two days after his.

He's a lot older than five.

So, happy birthday to one of the coolest five-year-olds I know, and happy early birthday to his dad and my brother!

A Day in Pictures

One year ago today, I woke up to this.

I decided not to worry about the weather (yet), pulled myself together, and headed to the salon.

I had the cutest boxed lunch delivered to me.

And it was packed full of delicious food.

After lunch, hair, and makeup were done, my mom drove me to the zoo where I slipped on my dress and stepped into these.

She went with me to the park, fluffed my dress, and sent me on my way.

I walked down that long sidewalk...

...and snuck up on this handsome guy.

I was so glad to finally see him!

I teared up a little.

He told me I looked pretty.

After our moment together, we went to take pictures with our friends. I was lucky to have some of my best friends by my side.

Doc had his buds with him too.

Our friends looked good together.

Our parents also came to take pictures with us.

These little guys were there too!

And then it was time to go back to my room and wait. It was getting close to time. The candles were all lit.

The string quartet started to play.

I watched from the window as guests arrived.

My mom helped me get my veil situated.

We took one last picture and then headed down to the front gates.

It was time to get married! My dad walked me down the aisle.

I was so glad to finally join hands with my almost-husband.

We prayed,

we said vows,

and we had our first kiss as husband and wife.

After the ceremony, we were quickly introduced at the reception and had our first dance.

The party was so much fun!

We had cake...

...and cupcakes!

We chatted with old friends.

And then we danced the night away!

I did not get my dancing skills from my dad.

Or from my mom.

But there's a chance Doc may have learned some from them.

Some people just couldn't stay awake for all the fun.

After all that dancing, everyone loaded up on green candy.

Doc and I exited through a tunnel of sparklers.

And then hopped aboard our chariot...the zoo trolley.

It was, by far, the best day of my life.

Happy anniversary, Doc! I love you more every day...you're my favorite. One year down, a million more to go!

Photos by Kerry Guice - kerryguicephotography.com.

Happy Mother's Day!

Doc and I really have two of the best moms ever.  They are honest and sweet and caring and loving and genuinely fun to be around. They delight in our triumphs and they comfort in our hiccups. Without them, neither of us would be who we are today. I, for one, hope I can be half the mom that they are to us.

Happy mother's day to you both! We love you very much!

And to all the other moms out there, happy mother's day to you too!