menagerie....

At first, I thought, "Put each little category of pictures in its own post.  It'll make more sense that way."  Then, I realized that NOTHING I've EVER done has EVER made sense, so I'm putting it all in one post.  Groundbreaking.....cutting edge.....state-of-the-art kind of stuff here.....

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Thirty one.

I had a birthday.

31 feels a HECK of a lot like 30....it's just (for some reason???) a little harder to swallow.  I kept telling people I was going to have a backward-birthday and turn 13.  Then, I remembered that I teach 13-year-olds (I know what they're like, and, sometimes, it's NOT pretty) and that I hated being 13.  So, I decided to turn 31 and see what happened.  So far, I'm okay with it.  I just wish my waistline was the size of a 13-year-old's.

Since it WAS Memorial Day Weekend (like it always is on my birthday....I have this deep-seeded hate for my birthday, really.  It stems from all my friends RSVPing with regrets to ALL my parties growing up because they had a lake house or a BBQ or a relative to go visit while I was trying to rough-it-up in Ronald McDonald's Fun Room or Bumper Bowl.  And, yes, I realize it's a HOLIDAY.  But, you try reasoning with an 8-year-old.  See how far it gets ya....), we decked Miss Anna out in her red, white, and blue, courtesy of her Auntie Amy (sunglasses courtesy of Yaya and Grumpy....the kid refused to take them off for about 3 hours).

It was a nice birthday - complete with a new iPad, dinner, a movie, and a night-off from parenting.

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Snuggling

We had the opportunity this past weekend to meet Baby Walker. The icing on the cake here was that our friend Robert was in town visiting family, so we got to spend some time with him as well.

now, I remember quite vividly the repeated, unsuccessful attempts to wake Anna up during feedings, in addition to all the tips and tricks -- cold washcloth on their little faces and chests, tickling their jaw, flicking their feet......but a Bud Light can to the foot?  Never tried that one.....leave it to men to figure that kind of stuff out.

As with any newborn, Walker sleeps QUITE a bit, but we did manage to sneak a peek at his precious baby blues before we left.  Lauren and Brad are doing great so far -- they are naturals at parenting.  Walker is a very lucky little boy to have them as his Mommy and Daddy.

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Yum-o.

Got corn?

Got biscuits?

Is there anything funnier than Eric sitting at this table?  We acquired it from Eric's office.  On his boss's birthday, they all decided to prank the heck out of him, and one prank included replacing his desk with this little set.  When the laughing died down, they pawned off the goods, and we got this.  She loves it!
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Peanuts and Crackerjacks....

Also thanks to Markel, we were able to take Anna to her first baseball game EVER last Sunday.  Of course, we *could* have taken her before, but this one was free.  You don't want to waste perfectly good ticket when the weather man is calling for a temper storm. 

this kid pied his dad in the face for a sub.  In my next career, I'm going to be the person that plans between-inning activities for the crowd's enjoyment.  It's like getting paid for coming up with practical jokes and maniacal payback.

he described EVERYTHING to her, and she ate it all up.  I see coaching in this man's future....and perhaps a small pair of cleats for this little girl.

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Various and Sundry

Fresh pedicures:  (Anna's first, I might add)   

Fear the turtle:  This dude was living in our garage.  Have you ever seen an orange turtle????  All he needed was a little purple in that shell, and he could have been Maryland's official state reptile.

the year of the boy....

There is, apparently, a very hip trend in the world of babies.  It's called "a boy".  In a whirlwind of a week, we've been privileged enough to celebrate the birth of THREE of them.

Last Tuesday (May 17), I woke up to the red light of my phone blinking off and on with a text message.  Received at 1:00 am, it was from my friend Vanessa (that I teach with) announcing the arrival of her second little man, Holden Gray weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs. 9 oz. (God bless that woman).  Pics of her little monkey will be forthcoming soon.

Upon arriving at school that very morning, I logged into my email to see a note from our guidance secretary that another one of my friends, Erica, had gone into active labor around midnight, as well.  Not more than a few hours later, I received some of these precious images of Aiden Bryce, 6 lbs. 7 oz.

   

Reeling from the high that comes from celebrating such momentous blessings with friends, we went on about our week and dealt with the everyday happenings here in Longoland......another round of strep with Anna.....playing outside.....watching my friend Robin get her doctorate in education and wear a weird-looking hat.  I girded up my loins for the nightmare that will ensue for the next 3 weeks as state-wide standardized testing goes on at school and we all go on lock-down for 2-3 hour intervals and try not to tear the paint off the walls.

And then, Sunday, a message in our in-boxes that set us both soaring. Meet Walker Bradley Gibbons, 8 lbs. 6 oz., born May 22.

  All mommies and all babies are happy and healthy.  Snuggle-invasions will commence next week.  Stay tuned.

mother's day

It may sound cliche and cheesy, but this was, by far, the BEST Mother's Day......E.V.E.R.  Now, I know I've only had 3 so far (yes, I count having Anna attached to my person as my first Mother's Day), but I could not have asked for a better day.

I woke up to the sound of my baby girl singing, "Moooooommmy!  Mooooooommmmy!!!".  This was what she and Daddy had for me:

They slid out the front door while I was still asleep (hey, on the weekends, I'm lazy, and I'm not too proud to admit that) and snipped that gorgeous rose off our rosebush in the front.  I love that we have rose bushes.  Now, someone needs to teach me how to "groom" them, because I have a special talent for killing living green things.

Anna was a very courteous little waitress and explained every item on my tray.  We even shared the fruit and some of the yogurt (okay, she took one bite of a few pieces, then put them back on the plate).

AK spent most of the rest of the day with Daddy while I went out with my Momma.  We went to brunch (which was awesome -- found this amazing new place down the street from our neighborhood that's quickly going to become our new "go-to" place on nights when we want a meal out).  Afterward, we went shopping and treated ourselves to a handful of pamper-products at Bath and Body Works.  I returned home to a happy little girl and a husband desperate to weed whack.  So, Anna and I watched "Cupcake Wars".  She sat on my lap and cuddled, and it was the sweetest 45 minutes of my life (seriously....she sat still for FORTY FIVE MINUTES).  It was the PERFECT day.

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This past Wednesday was Spring Picture Day at school.  The theme was "fishing"/"farm".  Eric and I scoured the closet for something appropriate, and found this little menagerie of a dress.  It was one of our "Anna Jo" specials (my friend Laura has a little girl named Anna, and they are EXACTLY one year apart.  between gifts from family, Natalie, and Anna, we haven't bought clothes in MONTHS).  Eric got her all dolled up and texted me a few pics.  I was SO excited to see the finished product!

what waffles?  this girl's rockin' some cinnamon bread these days.  she asks for it at dinner.

  

Sadly, I picked her up that afternoon to learn that she completely flipped out when they set her up to take her picture.  They tried SEVERAL times, even getting some of her teachers in there with her to see if that would calm her down, but, alas, we now have no Spring Picture of her.  No worries....Portrait Innovations is just down the road.  $9.99 special, baby.  Here we come.

A happy belated Mother's Day to all our Moms.  We hope your day was as wonderful as ours.