My parents celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary earlier this month. Since Kari and James were back in town (they've finally moved home, woohoo), we all took Mimi and Pop Dickie out to dinner to celebrate.

It was the first time that we took Maggie, Kate, Sarah, and Ella to a really nice restaurant for an evening meal, and they all did great!

After dinner we strolled around the quaint little town square and the girls got all their sillies out before we headed back to Mimi and Pop's for a late night dip in the pool.

Of course I didn't take any pictures of the 38 years later still happy couple.... so I'm hoping these cute pictures of the grand kids will make up for it. However, if I'd had my blogging cap on that day I would certainly have snapped at least a few of the rest of our crew.

Mimi and Pop,

You guys make a great team. Thanks for the loving example you are setting for all of us!

Love,

MB and the girls

Hiking with Daddy

Scott took the girls hiking a while back so that I could get the house cleaned and have an hour to myself. Ella enjoyed being the photographer for the day. Note: old pictures = scraggly haired children. Please remind me when it is time to take them again... before it is too late!!

Girly Girls?!?

I often bemoan the girly-ness of our household because I was quite the tom boy myself. I loved Dukes of Hazzard as a kid, but I didn't pretend to be Daisy, I was Luke Duke, thank you very much! I played basketball and softball, and never wore a cheerleader's uniform (unless you count the one pep rally where all the ball players dressed as cheerleaders and vice versa). Suffice it to say, I am the opposite of a girly-girl.

I had a weird dream last night in which I imagined I had my old job back working for "big chemical company". I wasn't going to be at a paper mill this time, but instead some other huge manufacturing facility. After lacing up my steel toe boots, grabbing my ear plugs and safety glasses, and finding my hard hat, I headed out the door for work. I was only a little sick to my stomach as I wandered around inside the facility scoping out all the big equipment with one of the employees. Then the very gruff manager descended upon us and quickly pointed the way to the basement filled with all manner of large, loud, scary looking stuff. He insisted I get straight to work cleaning up the mess the person before me had left with his high dollar equipment.... did I know how much extra work I was going to cause him.... should I not have the boilers ready for inspection the following day he would be happy to replace me, etc, etc. I guess you could say the dream was really a nightmare.

Upon awakening I realized all the more the beauty in the princess costumed, cheerleaders with pompoms ready, fancy ballerinas that I am surrounded by constantly. I thanked God yet again for giving me the opportunity to mother these precious little ones in all their frilly girliness.... and I still hold out some hope that at least one of them will enjoy some of the same activities I did as I was growing up.

But for now I have to head to bed because we have an early morning wake up in order to get 4 sweet girly girls off to cheerleading camp on time. **sigh**

Before and After... Finally!

A while back I took the girls to Ms. Kim for summertime haircuts. We snapped a few before and after pictures. I can't believe how incredibly scraggly they looked before they got their new do's! Emma wanted to be in the before shot, but she wasn't in need of a haircut..... since her mom is a great hairdresser she always has a cute 'do.

By the time we finally left Emma was done with the girls and having to share her toys so she didn't want to participate in the after shot. Here the girls are lined up: Ella, Kate, Sarah, and Maggie.

So, expect some serious confusion as I finally get around to posting the pictures that have been piling up in my blog files. Many are before the summer hair cuts took place and now there are plenty since... and I will be posting them in no certain order. The crazy long hair will give away just how old some of these posts are! Ah well, at least I'm finally posting some.

Inside on a Summer Day

Ella, Sarah, Kate, & Maggie

Back In May

I'm going to clean out my brain and my photo files right here on my neglected little blog over the next couple of days. Hopefully this will help me to get back to updating regularly because so much is happening and I don't want to miss this stuff! In no certain order:

Meet my Dad's dog Daisy Mae. She became his in May...

...on the same day that Ella graduated from preschool.

During the entire hour plus of graduation silly Sarah insisted on wearing her own personally devised clip on earrings. The hairbows attached to her earlobes looked terribly uncomfortable and she verified that they were in fact hurting her. Her words, "These things are killing my ears, but aren't they just the cutest?!?" Where do they learn this stuff??