Hooray for America!

We started off our Patriotic Holiday with a parade at H's school.

H was marching proudly with his class, until he spotted us.  

Specifically - his "T."

Then, the confusion ensued.  

Why was T here at school?

His reactions were priceless.

Then, out came the Ham.

On the Fourth, we headed over to Sister's house for some low-key grub: true American favorites like smoked/grilled BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, baked beans, potato salad, and banana pudding.

And plenty of baby snuggling with Miss Elizabeth!

One guess who LOVED his Mimi's Banana Pudding...

We headed home to keep Little Guy and Miss E on their schedule, but not before snapping some patriotic pics! 

NYC in 24 Hours

Last week I had to fly to NYC for a work meeting.

Wait - let me start over.

Last week I GOT TO FLY TO NYC FOR A FUN WORK MEETING WITH MY AWESOME CO-WORKERS!

Better?  

We had about half a day before our meetings started, so we became Tourists on Steroids.  

Literally.  

We started with a lunch in Central Park.

Then jumped on a Double Decker Bus.

For over 2 hours. 

 

Then had 20 minutes to shower off and run (literally) through Times Square to eat some New York steak (and cheesecake)!

Before catching a Broadway play.

And - if you're lucky enough to have a super cool sorority sister who lives in NYC, you can meet her for a very "Carrie Bradshaw-esque" martini at a very chic bar, where you may happen to see (and exchange pleasantries with) Jane Lynch, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Katie Holmes.

It happened, people.

And then, after a whirlwind of excitement,, you'll spend a full day of meetings here with some of the nicest, smartest, and talented peeps ever:

And you may salivate over their Pulitzer Wall.  In front of their faces.

Thanks for a great time, NYC!  

You're just lovely.

And I hope to see you again in the near future.

Sassy Boney

If you have a child between the ages of 0 to 5, then I'm sure you're familiar with Disney's Sharky and Bones, the "Greek chorus" of the cartoon Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

Otherwise lovingly called "Sassy Boney" by H.

He LOVES Sassy Boney.

And "Sassy Boney" is an improvement and after much work of what he was calling it - 

"Sexxxxy Bones."  

H loves to watch Sassy Boney on any iPhone, iPad, or TV he can find.

So you can imagine my delight when we'd be out at a restaurant or other public place, and he would yelled, "Sexxxxy Bones!  I want Sexxxxy Bones!" while grabbing whomever was closest iPhone. (You can't make this stuff up, folks.)

Should I be mildy alarmed that my two-year-old seems obsessed with two grown white men dresses as pirates?

Probably.

But I'm not alarmed enough to stop using them to cinch his temper tantrums, keep him entertained while out to eat or grocery shopping, or provide a family-friendly barrier to whatever else he could be watching.

Sassy Boney is a part of our family, whether we like it or not.

And don't think that myself, Daddy, DeeDee, PawPaw, T, and MiMi haven't learned their dance routines.

Because we have.  

Pork Tenderloin with Apples - New Recipe

We tried out a new recipe last week - hold your suprise face - with the Crock Pot.

I have a problem, I know, I know.

Before leaving for work, I threw in a plain pork tenderloin, 3 sliced red apples, some chicken broth (maybe 3-4 cups), cinnamon, and honey.

Cooked on Low for 8 hours.

Deliciousness ensued.  

Thanks Pinterest!

Best part - hands down - was that it fed us for two nights.

So that was two nights - in a row - that I didn't "have" to cook dinner after the haul home after a long day at the j-o-b.

Working mom's everywhere - you know this is a victory!

She's Here, and She's Fabulous!

My precious angel niece, Miss Elizabeth, graced us with her presence early last week.

Y'all.... she's beautiful.

Looks just like Sister, if I do say so myself.

I'm going to let Sister give you all the details, but here are some sweet snapshots from her birthday that I love!

The proud new Daddy.

Meeting Loo Loo

Meeting MiMi 

And T. 

And her Aunt Stina, who plans to spoil her rotten.

Cousin H was automatically protective of "Lisbet."

And called her "my baaaabeeee" more than once.

Oh dear.

Needless to say, we are all besotted by her! 

Welcome to the family, Elizabeth!

Summer Lovin' So Far...

We've been having some pretty wonderful Summer weekends around here...

We've hit up the Zoo and rode the Carousel for the first time.

Twice.

And we showed NO FEAR AT ALL in their new Dino Rocks exhibit.

Still apparently on the outs with the old laptop, as it refused to load most of my pics without doing them sideways....

And had a ball on the Farm for Memorial Day weekend!

Also showing NO FEAR in the swimming pool (even though it was a little cold).

But generally preferred splashing on the stairs.

That is not H's Coke.  I swear.

And loved trying DeeDee's homemade ice cream for the first time!

And some interpretative dancing with Uncle Mitchell.

Music in the background:  Sharky and Bones, a la Jake & the Neverland Pirates...

And basically just chilled out with our Summer Style...

Thanks to Aunt Melanie for the Memorial Day pictures!

Weekend Sale at AP Creations!

Did you hear?

AP Creations is having a 25% off sale this weekend!!!

I am obsessed with their super cute applique t-shirts for Harrison!

Annie's t-shirts are the best quality and price I have found so far - she's great!

Catch her ah-mazing designs at on her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/apcreations.