La Dolce Vita

It is a sweet life indeed! Bronwen and I set out on several errands this afternoon. We sojourned to Whole foods, which is a place where I rue the fact I'm not fabulously rich. I would shop there exclusively for snobbish organic products and $15 a pound cheeses. Oh well. I'd rather be comfortably ensconced in my small house, spending each day with Bronwen, than full of fancy cheeses, I suppose. Still, that place is awesome.

We treated ourselves to some pomegranate gelato. I kept Bronwen in the shopping cart, went outside to the tables and we shared. She smiled and waved at passers by, and the wind was blowing through our hair. We just took the time to enjoy each minute. It was sweet indeed.

When we got home (after a couple more party-planning stops) we went outside for a bit. Below are some pictures of Bronwen seizing the day.

Daddy and Mini-Me

Bronwen was once again pitching in and pulling her weight around the household. I walked outside last night to see the following:(note: the beer is TJ's.)

I called to them and TJ looked, but his helper was too intent on the task at hand.
I decided to move around behind the beds, so I could see what these two were up to.

Yep--they were weeding. Bronwen seemed surprised to find me there, camera in hand, but once she knew I was taking her picture, she was all smiles.

The Shirt Says it All

And then the glasses came off.
One last thing, just so you know: Nobody puts baby in the corner.

Bronwen In Wonderland

Bronwen fell down a "rabbit hole" of sorts when she flew on the plane and arrived in Shelby. One day, as she was crawling about in the house, she found a table with a little bottle on it, and tied around the neck of a bottle was a label with the words "Drink Me" beautifully printed on it in large letters.

Bronwen ventured to taste it, and finding it very nice (it had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavor of cherry-tart, custard, pineapple, roast chicken, and sweet potato), she very soon finished it off.

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"What a curious feeling!" thought Bronwen, as she had yet to utter her first real words aloud. And so it was indeed, as the mysterious liquid had caused Bronwen to shrink to the size of a very little girl. The chair was enormous; even the TV remote was too much for her to handle.Bronwen knew this was not the most pleasant of situations. How could she do anything being half her original size? She slid carefully down from the enormous chair and went back to the table. The table was now impossibly high. She tried her best to climb up one of the legs, but it was too slippery; and when she had tired herself out with trying, the poor little thing sat down and cried.

Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words "Eat Me" were beautifully marked in craisens. "Well, I'll eat it," thought Bronwen, as she had inherited her father's penchant for eating and was always hungry.

She ate a bit and waited to see what happened. "Curiouser and curiouser" thought Bronwen, for when she looked down at her feet, they seemed quite far off.Yes, Bronwen had grown to an enormous size! Luckily she noticed a tiny cup on the table beside her and took a sip.
Thankfully it worked! Soon little Bronwen was back to her usual size.
The End.

Easter Trip Pt 2

Back into the narrative. Since Mimi was kind enough to send some of the pictures she had taken during our visit, I can freely continue with the shenanigans, as my friend Tory Hoke would say.

We tried to keep in our usual routine as much as possible. TJ continued to give Bronwen baths, (his big toe, not mine may I point out. Take note Tiff)and Bronwen continued enjoying her meals.
She still ate her cheerios, stopping only to wave a casual hello at passers-by.

We celebrated two holidays whilst in Shelby: St. Patrick's Day and Easter. Mom made an amazing corned beef and cabbage dinner for us to celebrate our Irish heritage. Okay, so Mom is Polish, but we think dad might be 1/144th Irish. Might be even less. Who knows--we just enjoy the food, color green, and the ability to hold our whiskey. Plus that cereal really is magically delicious. Bronwen, our very own lucky charm, wore her shamrock dress and kissed a blarney stone or two.
Easter was wonderful--went to mass where Bronwen was a star and then had a lovely Easter meal together. Luckily my dear Laura and God child Sienna came to visit and helped us snap an Easter picture. A special thanks to Sienna for her help in making Bronwen smile!One last Note:
Many afternoons we would spend outside.
We discovered the deck in the back is basically a giant playpen. The adults would sit and enjoy wine and cheese, and the baby crawled around without danger of falling off the edge. Granted, there were hazards: Pine straw (she only tried to eat it once), dirt, giant cracks, nesting rattlers, and deadly splinters, but other than that, it was a perfect area to explore.










I'm just kidding--there wasn't really that much dirt.

So much more happened--visits with Joe and Sarah, a trip to Charlotte to see Jill and Dylan, gelato, chainsaws, a spin in Rhonda's chair, walks around the neighborhood with an empty stroller, card games, Judge Judy, immigration debates, visits with friends, pedicures, and more. Sadly, I don't have the time to write it all out. Thanks to all who came to visit and who spent time with us. We had a blast!

PS--We will miss you Flat Sam!

Things I learned in NC

1. How to eat enormous cookies
2. How to ride on shoulders3. How to say "Ma ma"
4. How to grow top teeth (Just barely poking through!)
*No photo currently available

5. How to kiss Mimi6. How to drive farm equipment
Anyone else learn something new?

Easter Trip Pt 1

I will publish several sections since there is just so much to share.

Part 1:
Saturday, March 15th we awaken at an unGodly hour and drive to the airport. We board our plane and have an uneventful ride to Atlanta. Bronwen is a champ on the flight, reading her Elmo book that Michele gave us and playing with the velcro parts. Atlanta isn't as smooth--we have to hustle to make the connection and then end up sitting for an hour on the runway. We make it to Charlotte an hour late, meaning no visit with Jill and Dylan as they have to crawl through pubs at 1:00. TJ and I are jealous; we could really use the pint of beer at this point.

We arrive at Mimi and Dja Dja's house (my Mom and Dad) and Bronwen is so excited to explore the house. It was a little colder there, so Bronwen's hot pink hoodie (thanks Veronica) came in handy. Sam was keeping an eye on things from a safe distance.I just realized I need copies of Mimi's pictures to continue with the narrative. Sigh. Okay, so I'll work on a different post, publish what I have of this one, and add to it when I get more pictures.