Congrats to T.J.!

We had an extremely busy weekend, starting Friday with graduation. I was worried that Bronwen was too little for the graduation ceremony, but I have to admit she handled herself like a champ. I came prepared, of course, with a packed lunch for Bronwen and the rest of us. Two slices of turkey, a slice of bread, 6 grapes, and an assortment of Cheerios and graham crackers later, Bronwen was as happy as could be. Of course we had to wait about an hour for the ceremony to begin, and right around that time, her patience was wearing thin. She started walking back and forth, hanging on to the seats in front. This lasted until she fell in the crack between the rows and started to cry (just a little). I scooped her up, whisked her to the back of the stadium and managed to watch T.J. walk across the stage. After that, Bronwen, Mimi, and I went outside to visit Mike the tiger and play until graduation was over. T.J. looked mighty handsome in his cap and gown!

Here we are in front of the tiger cage. I look pregnant, but I'm not. (Note to self: suck in the belly)Since Mike was taking a nap, we took a picture by the tiger statue.I was happy to have Mom and Dad there to share the day. Mom was also invaluable in keeping Bronwen entertained when she grew bored with me. Dad enjoyed giving her a ride on his shoulders as she told us all how old she now is!









After graduation, we headed home to relax and grab a nap. Sadly, the nap part didn't happen for any of us. We then continued onward to BeeBee and PapaDoc's house for the graduation celebration. Bronwen had a great time playing in the grass.



Smelling the flowers with MiMi:

On the swing with Dja Dja:At dinner:and finally, with the graduate and the guests.

Georgia posed by my carrot cake right before TJ helped her cut into it.





It was a great party! Stay tuned for the report of birthday shenanigans.

Dear Aunt Traveling Jan

I really miss you and wish you were here for my shin-dig. I will have your picture out and pretend you are playing with me in my tiny plastic pool.
Many Splashes and love,
Niece Bronwen

P.S. I'll let you borrow my sunglasses if you need them.

Stormy Weather

It is a wonderful, stormy day today! We are all enjoying watching the rain--Bronwen loves it as much as I do.

I *puffy heart* Watermelon

At the crawfish boil, Bronwen had watermelon for the first time. It was sweet, it was wet, and it was delicious. I have never seen food disappear so quickly from one's plate, and being married to T.J., that is truly saying something. The only problem is that she ended up wearing most of the juice! She also really enjoyed a cold brewsky to wash everything down. *Note to CPS--not really. That's a joke. Babies drinking beer--ridiculous! Comical! Please let me keep my child.

I know this picture is blurry, but I just love her smile!
Here she is, stripped of her watermelon-saturated apparel, ready to go into the crawfish pot!

100th Post

Seems fitting that this should be published on the anniversary of my Bronwen's birth. I normally keep the tone light and playful on this blog, but I do want to take a moment to reflect on the past year. Giving birth to such a beautiful, wonderful, joyful baby is the single greatest accomplishment of my life. I never knew a piece of my soul was missing until I laid eyes on my baby for the first time. She has taught me so much in the past year. She has taken my heart and made it bigger and better--tears are sweeter, love is deeper, and my life has more happiness than I ever could have imagined. I love you, my dearest Bronwen. You have given me the best gift I could ever hope to receive; the privilege and honor of being a mom, even better, your mom. Happy birthday, and here's to hoping for 100 more birthdays to come!

Caught "Read" Handed

TJ was kind enough to save his newspapers for me for my gardening. Little did I know that they would provide such entertainment for Bronwen. I should have realized; after all, my frequent readers will remember what she did to my People magazines and the Southern Living periodicals. See if any of you can spy Pepper in the background.After all her "shredding" I asked her to show me her hands--and they had ink all over them!

Thank the Lord for the Night Time

Good night Chee Chee! We miss you!**All smiles--check out those pearly whites and baby blues!
** For clarification--Chee Chee is my friend Barbara, who is not dead, as it may sound in the post. She just lives in Delaware. Rather, DelaWhere?