First though, counting down, today is the 10th anniversary for Emily and Ryan, which they celebrated by taking Katherine to her 4-year doctor's appointment - where she is due for shots. I told them if they wanted to go somewhere to celebrate, I would babysit, but they're so unused to having any time alone that they're completely clueless where they want to go. I'm sure they'll think of something that doesn't involve children's plates and spilled anything.
I have such a disaster in my picture files after changing computers that I couldn't find any up-to-date pictures of them to post on Facebook. I told Emily to send me one, and she said, "We don't have anyone to take serious pictures of us." Maybe we can get better on family pictures soon. Just for memory's sake, I'll link a post about the wedding instead of finding the same old pictures. There were very few pictures of both of them together at the beach without other people. My favorite one is one I took one morning on the way to look at the turtle egg nest. Ryan is already geared up for sun protection, but they look (and were) so happy.
Here are some haphazard photos of various family members. There's not one where someone is not clowning. Kathy swears she was not torturing Kate in these pictures. Kate was just working on her best "smile for the camera" smirk.
I hesitate to include this one that I was invited hurriedly to join, and no one had bothered to inform me of the color scheme or to suggest makup and hair brushing, but it's us, grimaces and all.
Another happy picture I found.
So Katherine's 4th birthday was celebrated over a couple of weeks with various people and in various settings, but I'll let that have its own post later as well as more pictures of the trip.
Mother's Day was celebrated at the beach with cards from the girls and a busy time for the little ones making their own cards. Rooster Valley has a cute little afternoon every year to honor mothers called Mums for Moms where they make gifts - this year, corsages, bath salts, painted rock picture holders, and other things. Emily unfortunately had to work, so I had the honor of accompanying Katherine. We had a great time on a hot afternoon, but there was lemonade and cupcakes and strawberries. She even ate the lemon orzo salad and gave it a thumbs up.
This was the bath salts assembly line and in the background the rock painting.
I tried to escape the photo area, but one of the teachers insisted on a Mimi picture.
In the first one, I was trying to get her to have a real smile instead of a grimace.
But failed. I promise she wasn't angry!
I really think this was a phase - the grimacing and closed-mouth smiles - because since then we have some really sweet pictures of her.
I'm working on getting together some more family pictures, cousins this time, but am waiting on a few. The girls have 6 first cousins in Ryan's family but none in Emily's, so we're borrowing cousin's children to claim, and there are some cute ones. Maybe that will happen tomorrow.
In the meantime, I've given in and bought Layla something to showcase her slothfulness and disdain. It's a little too late since she's already done a pretty good (BAD) job of clawing furniture corners, but I have to admit it makes me smile to see her sitting up there so happy. Since I don't have any furniture left to speak of, hers is the best piece in the living room.
She has an unobstructed view of the bird feeders on one side and a view of the kitchen from the other. I forgot about her this morning and all of a sudden had the feeling someone was watching me.
Happy Trails!
