Wellie!

We traveled to Pennsylvania for a quick 2 night trip to our beloved Wellie!

We played the Sneaky Snacky Squirrel game that G got from Abby and Papi.  Wellie was a very sneaky squirrel.  

She was great at grabbing acorns.  

She is also a pro at hide and seek.  

She wore one of G's bows, as is our tradition.  They had fun with Frozen stickers.  

I made tea with Wellie.  I love this hilarious picture.  She is so little!

Aunt Rose and Uncle Paul were ready to party.

We had a fun meal at Friendly's.  

We finished up the evening by visiting T's cousin Dina at work.  Lane Bryant was terrorized by my child.  I don't take her shopping much anymore, so she ran like a crazy fool hiding behind clothing racks and under tables.  

It was a great visit.

Christmas 2015

Christmas morning was most exciting for Lady G.  Santa (me) delivered on the Rapunzel dress.  

Caroline and Genevieve made out like fat cats!  

My mother got an electronic piano, since her piano floated down the river with the flood of 2008.  The cousins wore matching gold for Christmas dinner.

Let it be noted that I actually wore pants that buttoned on Christmas day for the first time in like 2 decades.  I wore jeans!  

We continued our tradition of Christmas crackers.  Everyone had a crown.  

YaYa and Bob with their best gals.  

Caroline received that ridiculous pie face game.  We all got a little crazy with whipped cream.

Uncle Kent was a bit uncertain.

Shazam!

Robby prays that he is able to maintain his perfectly groomed face and hair.  He orders products from London.  I'm not kidding.  

Here's my hubby.  He did not avoid the whip!

Cousin Scott was a real champ about it all.  

Courtney, Allison, and Teri returned for more wine and fun.   Courtney ran around the house with my child for about 20 minutes straight.  Ever efficient, she was able to both bond with my clone AND finish up her 10,000 steps for the day.  

We departed the next day to Pat and Eddie's for another Christmas with Aunt Shirley.  Patsy had this beautiful tree.  

G received a tricycle from Abby and Papi.

She rolled around on that thing a lot.  We continued to eat a ton with them too.  We had so much fun.  

I convinced my husband to take me to see Star Wars.  He hates to go to the theatre.  We loaded up in my new car.  I have crossed over to the dark side with a crossover SUV.  I said I would never do it. 

I did.

I took my Sugarfina Champagne gummy bears that I got from my parents.  They know me well.  They combine two things I adore, champagne and gummy foods.  

We returned home to our house on Monday after 2 nights at my home and 2 nights with Trinity's parents.  

I spread out all of my presents.  I have always like to showcase my wares from Christmas.  I remember taking all of my American Girl Samantha things up to my room on Christmas morning still in their boxes and just staring at them before I would break open any packaging.  I'm still 9 years old that way.  

I got a couple of candles, some devotional books ( I love Joyce Meyer and her pantsuits), a new calendar, shoes and some fabulous carnation pink pants.  They are a color only I would wear.  Pat and Eddie got me new pajamas.  That sign is from my father.  In reality, I actually openly correct grammar.  As my friend Marinda would say, "this is why people don't like you, Bets."  Truer words were never spoken!  

Despite lack of photographic evidence, Aunt Cindi, Uncle Chip, Eddie, Patsy, and Shirley were all involved in the festivities.  It was a wonderful Christmas!  

Christmas Eve 2015

 Snow White was jazzed to babysit Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve.  We arrived home to my parents' house to hang with Robby, Meghan, Mom, Dad, and Court.

 Snow White was enchanted by our very own blonde blue-eyed Elsa.  Court can only carry a tune in a bucket, but she was up for horsing around with Lady G.  

We set out cookies and milk for Santa before bedtime.  I gladly ate the cookie.  G had a hard time going to sleep since she heard Rudolph on the roof.  I think she meant the bats that live behind the shutters on the front of the house!

Christmas morning to follow!

A Magical Morning

It all started with these two.  Mother and Kathy have been dear friends since high school, about 50 years now.  

Then they had these three.  They had boys too, but they are not pictured.  

Katie and Kirby were practically incarcerated in high school due to their shenanigans, and Kathy and my mother had to lean on each other the most during those times!

They didn't have to worry about me.  I was too busy telling my friends not to drink wine coolers.  

We all grew up and only had girls. Little boys are not pictured because they don't exist.  

Caroline and Peri are in 3rd grade, Phoebe is in kindergarten, and Genevieve is working on maintaining her status in the 3 year old class.  She has the propensity to end her days on yellow or red, as she has great difficulty listening and following directions.  

Kirby treated us to a magical morning at The Cake Bakeshop.  We had a private party where we decorated cupcakes with one of their pastry chefs, who studied in Paris.

Oui, oui!

Miss Allison described the process.  I did my best Lady Edith impression.  My ability to laugh at myself has been my saving grace.  Otherwise I would have terrible self esteem.  Look at that posture, those bedroom eyes.  I really missed my calling with modeling.  

Genevieve took it all very seriously.  

 She was a very good listener.  She would have been on green for the skills she showed that morning.  

That little speck on her face is left over paint from our face painting.  

Miss Allison explained that they add a bit of sparkle to every dessert with edible glitter.  After she glittered our cupcakes, we got some on our faces.  

YaYa was excited.  

So was Caroline.  

Genevieve made a wish.  I think she thought she might be able to fly like Tinkerbell.  

I became incredibly excited about looking like an IU junior again. Sparkling and glitter makeup was all the rage in college.  

Make it rain, Allison.

Make it rain.

Can I get a witness?

Hallelujah!

 The girls sat in front of the glass window and watched this magical man in pink make chocolate cake.  It was so similar to our birthday parties at Noble Roman's in the 80s when we watched them fling pizzas in the window.  The only difference was we didn't go roller skating afterwards.  Ha! 

It was a fabulous experience.  If you have not been to this lovely establishment, you should go.  You feel like you are in London, not Indianapolis.  

This is probably the only time my toddler will sit on a white couch.  

Thank you to sweet Kirby for inviting us.

We've come a long way since we used to squabble in high school and college!  

Holiday Happenings

My dear friends from across the globe visited Indy!

Melissa and Alexander are childhood pals who would come and visit their grandparents in TH each summer.  Their parents are Hautians and their momma is one of YaYa's besties.

Miss lives in Singapore and Alexander is in Hong Kong.  I had not seen them in eons.  

Melissa entertained us at dinner with her grade school crafting skills.  

I only post this picture ( she may kill me) because she is one of my most loyal readers and rarely makes an appearance due to distance!

I think she still looks lovely!

This one is better.  This is proof that teaching firsties and then dining out that night don't mix.

I look like I'm hung over.

Hung over from educating and enlightening children all day!  

I was actually trusted to babysit Alexander and his younger brother  Trevor.  Mind you, Alexander is 32 and I'm 36.  So my prime babysitting days for him involved a very responsible 12 year old and a precocious 8 year old.  Our mothers' judgement might be called into question here.  Alas, everyone survived.  I have always been an old soul.  At 12 I was really 45.  Now I'm about 70 at heart.

We dined with cousin Molly and her precious Louise.  I was invited to this family affair.  I do love this crew.  

My little crew engaged in some face painting this week.  This was not face paint but I figured it would come off fairly easily.

Not so. 3 days later I was still picking that shellac off of G's face.

We rode the Polar Bear Express on Sunday evening.

I love the ticket man here.

He was emphatic that he was not "the conductor!"  That job is very prestigious in Polar Bear Express land. 

The dueling cousins sparred most of the trip!

Good times.

G has a serious case of peanut butter and jealous regarding Cousin Caroline.  She thinks YaYa and Bob only belong to her.  My futile attempts to explain that Caroline had them first and they can share have been met with shrieks and screams.  

This too shall pass!