Meet Marigold

Another first for our family -- a pet!

We finally bit the bullet and committed to another family member. G has been wanting a kitten for ages, and so, for an early birthday present, she adopted Marigold today. She is about nine weeks old, and so far, seems to be adjusting well. 

G is just beside herself with happiness. 

BD is not as thrilled. He has been repeatedly telling us that he wants nothing to do with a cat. He announced to Win (as though ratting us out), that "Susan and Gwyn are planning on getting a cat." 

But, he might be coming around. He still hasn't touched her once, but he likes watching her play, and he even volunteered to feed her in the mornings. 

As we were all sitting in the bathroom this afternoon watching Marigold sniff her new surroundings, BD whispered to me, "I hope she doesn't attack my dangly bits." 

I told him, "As long as you keep your pants on, I think you'll be fine."

Bean Dip's birthday party was this weekend, and I am pretty sure it was a success. My mom was here, and Katherine and Collins came as well. We also had the neighbors, Alex and Mary and the kids, and Ivy came as well.

We kept it simple this year. We did pizza for the meal and I just bought mini cupcakes for the cake part. My cherry cake for his actual birthday was enough baking this week. I also had fresh fruit and veggies and hummus as well, something healthy to balance out the delicious pizza. My mom was a great help in that she did all the food prep while I tore around the house cleaning up.

We had the pool and the slip'n'slide and games set up in the backyard.  BD and Ivy picked up right where they left off and and ran around playing all afternoon. G and Cameron spent (quite literally) hours in the pool. They came out only for the science experiment, food, and presents. And the occasional cupcake. They swam until 7 p.m.

We did the silly putty experiment for all the kids. I also just had that as the "goody bag" for the kids. They got to take home the results of their experiment. Basically, we mixed glue, water, and borax to make a wonderful goop like silly putty. The sound of the kids saying "wow!" all together when the mixture came together was priceless. It was fun, a little messy, and a lot of fun.

After that, we ate, opened presents and had cake. This year, I got all the birthday stuff wrapped up fairly quickly, and then I could relax! We spent the rest of the evening hanging out. BD put together all his new Legos, finally quitting at almost 10 p.m. when he couldn't function any more. Win had to help him with his last one. It was a great party, and I know BD was really happy.

Silly Putty Recipe: http://pagingfunmums.com/2014/06/13/frozen-silly-putty/

Bean Dip's birthday was really nice. We didn't do a whole lot that day -- swimming lessons in the morning and cake in the evening. But he was happy all day, and not horribly impatient about getting to open his presents. He's maturing in that aspect, and it is wonderful.

Swimming lessons went well, even though I forgot their goggles. On the way home, I asked BD what he wanted for lunch, and he picked Subway. Perfect. He ordered his sandwich, much to the delight of the workers and the old guy behind us. The sandwich he picked was: roast beef on Italian bread, no cheese, heated, with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, olives, yellow peppers, jalapenos, and steak sauce. He ate the whole thing and said it was delicious.

We did a little science experiment that afternoon. We made silly putty. It was a project Win found on the Internet. Basically, you mix glue, water, and borax, and it turns into the crazy goop. We used clear glue and added food coloring and glitter. It was super easy and so awesome to watch it change from liquid to solid. BD has been into chemistry lately, so this was a fun, easy experiment.

We went out to dinner at Olive Garden that night, a nod to BD's "Italian" heritage. Olive Garden is the most "Italian" restaurant in Clarksville. We had a great time, and the food was delicious. Baby G ordered spaghetti with marinara sauce and shrimp, and BD chose one of the small plates off the adult menu -- polenta with shrimp, olives, and capers. It was really good -- we traded plates after a bit so he could eat the rest of my risotto while I ate his polenta.

Bean Dip had decided he wanted a party on his real birthday. We settled for sharing his cake with the neighbors. So after we got home from dinner, we got everyone together (that included Scott yelling across the cul-de-sac to Earl) for cake and ice cream. This year, BD requested a cherry cake. I ended up making a vanilla cake layered with homemade cherry filling, homemade vanilla butter cream, and fresh cherries on top. It turned out amazing -- I think I've finally mastered buttercream (the secret is to have the butter really soft). So we all had a little party in the driveway, and BD also got to practice his skateboarding.

We got him a skateboard for his birthday, which I think was a complete surprise for him, and he loves it. He also finally got his much-wanted alarm clock, a Lego Darth Vader one. And of course, more Star Wars Legos.

Seven!

One of the funniest things we saw in Holland was this display at the Ecomare on Texel. You were supposed to match the poo to the right animal. If you got it right, the toilet made a flushing sound. If you got it wrong, it farted and laughed at you. I thought it was hilarious. (My sense of humor is pretty immature.)

We visited the Ecomare on Bean Dip's birthday. It was a great aquarium that taught us about the ocean surrounding the island of Texel. They also have rescued seals, and we got to see their feeding time.

I'll eventually getting around to writing more about our trip. I'm still editing the millions of photos I took.

We had a really good weekend. My parents came to visit, to help us celebrate my birthday. They were a little late in arriving, because they got lost on the way down. I thought it was hilarious. Mom said they were chatting and missed their turn, but they didn't realize it until they crossed the Mississippi into Missouri! So they were about an hour late. Mom said she hadn't turned on the GPS because she figured they knew the way, and she hadn't even brought her atlas with her. To be fair, we've missed that same turn before, but we realized it immediately.

I got some time to myself on Saturday -- I went to a baby shower for a friend. It was nice, there were only four of us and we went out to lunch at The Looking Glass, a local restaurant in Clarksville. The theme is Alice in Wonderland, and it was pretty good. Definitely a place for ladies who lunch.

When I got home, I had a surprise party! Well, just Mom and Dad and the kids, but they'd decorated and made me a cake. I was reallly surprised. Bean Dip was the king of the poppers, and G helped me open all my presents. Win called on Skype in the middle of it and got to be a part of it all.

Dad also fixed up my lawn mower. It stopped working right before we went out of town for Fall Break, and when we got back I had someone mow it for me. But Dad changed the air filter, the blade, and also the oil, and now it sounds like a happy mower again. I think I might have the guy cut it again for me one more time, but then mow it myself in the spring. We'll see.

While we were out doing that, our neighbors across the street came over. They have a young son and he drove over his big truck -- one that two kids can ride in. He shared with BD and G and they drove all over the yard. Then our other neighbors came over with their boy (he is also in kindergarten and rides the bus with BD) with his big dune buggy. They all had a blast and we got to chat with all the neighbors.

We went out to dinner at Olive Garden (My disclaimer: I know it's not real Italian, but I was craving pasta! And if you just take it for what it is, it's pretty good. And I love their eggplant parmesan.)

So that's about it. Mom and Dad left Sunday morning. We had a quiet day until Mason, the kindergartener who rides the bus with BD, came over and asked if he could play. BD ran over immediately. Then, of course G wanted to go too, so we invaded their house. I had to drag them home later, they had so much fun.

We ended the day with a belated movie night. We watched the Lorax and ate popcorn.

A North Carolina Birthday

Five years old

Lem's birthday has been a weekend extravaganza, spanning two states. We celebrated at home in Tennessee a day early, and then on Saturday, we loaded up the car and drove eight hours to North Carolina. The drive was uneventful, and quiet. Lem got one more birthday present from us, and Gwyn got her un-birthday present -- each a new Leapster game. That kept them both happy for hours.

We arrived in Greensboro in the early evening. We were to spend the night at Win's grandmother's house. This was part of our vacation plan, and the main reason we chose to vacation on NC. She was so excited to see us and have us to visit. And we were excited to be there. Two of Win's uncles were there, Willy and Nat, and also Willy's two daughters, Sophie and Savannah. They are 11 and 12 (I think), and they played all evening with Lem and Gwyn. Lem just loved it -- two beautiful older girls to play with. They showed them the toy room, and then played shooting games with Lem. He sat between them at dinner, and afterward, they helped him climb the tree in the front yard. I was so happy they were there to do all that with him.

More family showed up for dinner -- there were 12 of us. Grandma came, as well as Win's two cousins, Dean and Al, and also his other aunt and uncle, Elaine and Johnny. It was so great to see everyone. For Lem, after, Gum arranged for him to have an ice cream cake, and there were some presents as well. So even though it was unusual circumstances (I was so worried about us traveling on his birthday), I think it was a very special birthday for him. He did get a little burnt out with all the happy birthdays and singing and having to sit and wait, but he did pretty well. He didn't even try his cake until the next day (we had ice cream cake for lunch before we left), but Gwyn loved it.

Lem fell asleep in Grandma's bed, after drinking his milk and watching a little TV. I read him Harry Potter until I looked over, and he was sound asleep.

Sunday afternoon, after our ice cream cake lunch, we loaded up again, said goodbye, and headed east to the beach. Four hours later, we were in Kure Beach, where we were spending the week.

The Big Five

Happy Birthday to my sweet baby boy, who likes to remind me that he is, in fact, not a baby anymore. This grown up boy is ready for Kindergarten, refers to himself as The Flash, and is a huge fan of superheroes, sports and Legos. And bunk beds. And zombie killing. And Dream Lights.

Five years ago today, I was in the birthing clinic on post in Vicenza, with my mom. We were anxiously awaiting two arrivals. Win's and Lem's. Win made with a couple hours to spare, straight off the plane from Kuwait. Lem arrived a couple hours later, to two very exhausted, happy new parents and one very excite new Oma.

Happy Birthday, Lem!

Summer Birthday

We celebrated Lem's fifth birthday a day early, for various reasons. He has been so excited in the past couple weeks, so ready to turn five. We had a quiet day, with the big surprise being a surprise visit from Oma and Grandpamp. He and Gwyn were so excited to see them, and Lem immediately saw them as more baseball players for the game we were playing.

We spent the afternoon outside, having a redneck beach party -- blow up pool and slip'n'slide for the kids in the backyard, and chairs and beach umbrellas for the adults. And bomb pops for every one. Presents came next, finally. Lem got a workbench from Oma and Grandpamp to go with his tools. He also got lots of Legos, red Chuck Taylors and a Dream Light. (He has been asking for one of these forever. It is a turtle that projects the stars on the ceiling, and as Lem says, "It keeps the nightmares away.")

We had cake and ice cream later, a lemon cake with five candles and Anakin and Obi-Wan on it, per his request. And then it was to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. Lem fell asleep during the five minute drive there, but he woke up happy and we had a good meal.

There will be more surprises tomorrow.

Pairie Burning

Birthday Cooking

Monday was Win's birthday. He requested homemade fried chicken, greens, mashed potatoes, and apple pie. His Southern roots are showing. Since it was his birthday, I decided to attempt this whole fried chicken thing.

I ended up cooking all day. Pie first, which came out perfect. Then I tackled the mustard greens -- another first for me. The chicken took longer than I thought, and we ate late. The verdict? Mashed potatoes, check. Garlicky and creamy. The greens were very tasty but sandy (even though I'd washed them!). The chicken had way too much breading, so much that it was like a shell. Also, the "organic" chicken breasts were so large they didn't cook through. But the pie made up for it all, and Win was happy that I'd attempted the chicken.

Maybe I'll try the chicken again next year.

My Birthday

Back up two weekends ago to my birthday. We spent the day in Nashville. I wanted BBQ and to visit the botanical gardens. So that's what we did.

We ate lunch first, at Hog Heaven in Nashville, near Centennial Park and Vanderbilt University. Hog Heaven has won awards for its BBQ, and my parents have eaten there and loved it. It is take-out only, but that works perfectly with the park across the street.

I was super excited to get some amazing BBQ, but sadly, it just wasn't up to par. I wonder if maybe it was just an off day, or we were too early (it was barely noon). Win said my pulled pork the weekend before was better (that made my day). But the location was great -- we sat at the park and listened to sound checks for the Musicians' Corner (modeled after Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park in London). And I loved the vibe of the area -- eclectic and full of university people.

We headed over to the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens (it was a straight, 15-minute drive from the park). FYI, if you are military, ask for the discount! It's 50 percent off. The gardens were beautiful, and they had a model train exhibit outside, which the kids loved. We checked out the art museum, which had a Wild West exhibit from the Buffalo Bill collection in Cody, Wyoming.

We headed home soon after that. Almost two hours of walking, and it was time. Rich and Jessica came over later that evening, to watch the LSU-Alabama game with us. Jessica made me an amazing chocolate-coconut cake, and they all helped me drink my fancy bottle of Champagne (Moet Imperial Rose) that Win got me. Bama lost, which was a disappointment, but I had a good birthday in spite of it.

For more information on Hog Heaven, click here. I would definitely give it another chance, clearly, it has fans!
For more information on Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, click here.

Tonight at Dinner

Baby G was asking how old we all were. This is how it went down when I told her my age:

Baby G: Mama?

Me: Tomorrow I'm going to be __.

Baby G: Wow!

Bean Dip: Wow, you are going to be huge!

Baby G: See? My belly button!

The Party

Baby G's birthday party ended up being quite the event. We didn't do anything big during the day. Win was off work, and he made pancakes -- her favorite -- for breakfast. I made sure she had a long nap, and we did a little slip'n'sliding and cake baking.


The party started when the guests arrived. First came Collins, she came down for the weekend to see us. Then came my parents and Mike, and then Alex Sardine (Bean Dip's nickname for him) and Rich and Jessica showed up. I made spaghetti and meatballs and salad, and we all crowded around the kitchen table. Then it was time for a quick bath and then presents.

I have to say, G was as entertained with the tissue paper as the presents. Every opening started with her wrapping a piece around her head. BD "helped" her unwrap, but it was a little rough for him. He did get two presents of his own, and by the end he'd calmed down and was happy to play with all the new toys.


It was quite the Dora birthday. She got several Dora dolls, a Dora packpack from us, and a talking backpack from Mike that she just loved. For several minutes she just sat there in awe, pressing the button and sighing in happiness. We also got her a pair of cowboy boots, which she has been wearing nonstop.


We all headed outside for a little while, while Mike helped BD fly his new airplane. Then it was cake time. I made a chocolate cake from scratch, and homemade icing. It was delicious but the icing was so sweet. G quite enjoyed her vanilla ice cream.


I let the kids stay up late, and they played happily until they crashed. But they were up first thing in the morning, BD coming in at 6:30 a.m. asking if he could go wake up Mike. I told him no way, and he did give us 30 more minutes of sleep. The G was up, and she woke everyone up by immediately playing with her talking backpack.

Two

Happy second birthday to my beautiful, goofy baby girl. Lots of fun planned for today and this weekend.

A Weekend Home

We just spent the weekend in Illinois for some more birthday celebrating. Win couldn't make it, so just the kids and I drove up. My aunt had the whole family over to celebrate all the June/July birthdays in the family (there are a lot). The weather cooperated, and we had a great time sitting out in the beautiful garden and catching up. Dinner was fried chicken and salads, bread and deviled eggs. Then some of us walked up to the park so the kids could play. Back for cake and ice cream (One cake, for little Jack, bit the dust as we were singing Happy Birthday. It flew out of my aunt's hands from the the top of the deck stairs. Jack's face was priceless. We sang happy birthday to him and he blew out the candle, held by his mom.), then opened presents. By then it was getting late, so we headed home. It was a great party.

Sunday we recovered and spent the day at the farm. We sat outside and the kids played in the kiddie pool, sand box and hot tub (filled with cold water). They also played in the garden with Uncle Mike, while I sat in his hammock and read. He took some great pictures, I'll have to get them from him. I was busy being lazy.

Monday, Mom went with us for a day of shopping while the car was worked on. We ate lunch, then killed time at Target and the train library.

Mike has baby guineas, and they are in the old rabbit hutch right outside the sun porch, where I was sleeping. Monday night was the first night they were out there that it wasn't stormy, so the raccoons that have been roaming the yard came to investigate. Twice they showed up, trying to get in the hutch. I woke up my parents, and they went out and scared them off, and set the live trap. Then Mike woke up to see what was going on. My mom told me that they caught the two raccoons last night, so hopefully my parents will get some sleep now.

4

The Big Four

I think Bean Dip's fourth birthday was a success. He was pretty excited all day, he thinks he's hot stuff now that he's four.

We finally had a day of beautiful weather, and went to the splash park on post and met Gretchen and her kids. Bean Dip and Baby G were a little shy at first, but soon were running around with Avery, Jay and Tyler. They are so sweet -- really good with my little ones. They all asked if BD and G could come home with them. And BD and G both gave them all hugs when we left. The splash park is different from Rucker -- it's open, and next to a great playground. The kids ran back and forth between the two.

Lunch was a salami sandwich cut in the shape of an X-Wing Fighter, and a cookie packed in his new Star Wars lunchbox (thanks, Samantha!). He took it upstairs and ate it in front of Yo Gabba Gabba, just chillin' in his Transformers underpants.

We had a quiet afternoon, then he and G helped me make his cake -- pineapple upside down cake. Then Win came home, and they all went outside while I cleaned up for our little party. While they were outside, a Blackhawk flew over, saw them in the field, and did two low fly-bys for them. Win told BD it was his present from the Army. Then three Kiowas flew over right after that.

We had spaghetti, salad with capers, and garlic bread for dinner. Alex showed up early and ate with us. Jessica and Rich came over later. BD opened his presents -- lots of Transformers. He finally got his "own big Octopus Prime," two of them. We got him Megatron and some Legos. Baby G got a little unbirthday present -- a Matchbox Chinook and Dora the Explorer underpants. She was so excited, she kept saying, "Dora, Dora!" and putting them on. By the end of the night she was rocking four pairs of Dora underpants over a pair of Thomas the Train underpants and her "dipe." She had a dress on but managed to take that off before the party even started.

BD's big present was a bicycle. A blue and white one with training wheels. And a helmet. G really liked the helmet, and luckily I knew which box BD's old one was in, so she got one too. We went outside, and BD rode up and down the block on his new bike. He was pretty funny, he refused to wear shoes, but kept saying, "I can go super fast!" Yay for a neighborhood with sidewalks. G was asking for her bike, "Mama, Dada, bike?", so we got out the tricycle and pushed her around. She was a picture in her Dora underpants and too big helmet.

BD loved his cake, probably mostly because of the Transformers on it. I got little ones for it, and I think he really likes them because he can transform them himself. He ate the ice cream, pineapple and marachino cherry and left the cake. G loved the cake, and later that night came and sat back down and asked, "Mama, more cake?" Rich, Jessica and Alex stayed for a while. It was fun to have people sitting around our kitchen table talking and hanging out and playing with Transformers. G got a kick out of putting on Alex's hat and shades.

Holy Saturday

We had a birthday party on Saturday. Bean Dip and Baby G were both invited. It was at the Fun Factory in Enterprise, and the kids had so much fun. Alex turned three. His cake was camouflaged and had a helicopter on it. As you can see, the room has helicopters, too.


And then we came home to wake up Win and dye Easter eggs. Bean Dip made a huge mess with the dye, but he had a blast. Baby G kept yelling, "Egg!" and ended up eating on that had cracked. She is a huge fan of boiled eggs.