Girl Time!

Since we've been home all of a week or so without traveling, we were due for another road trip. We don't stay still too very long! Truthfully, we're trying to fit in as much as we can these last couple of weeks before school starts!

My cousin Mary Catherine is starting Auburn this fall and is moving into good ol' Owen Hall in the Quad next Saturday and starting Rush shortly after that. My Aunt Melissa has been telling me she thought Mary Cat was very nervous and hasn't really been herself, given what all she's about to have to tackle. Melissa said she needed someone to light a fire under her about going to Auburn and going through Rush. You don't have to ask me twice...we were in the car in 4 seconds flat! Mary C is like my sister and I can hardly contain the excitement (ok, envy) I have for her and what she's about to go through. She's got the best years of her life right before her and it was my job to let her know it!!!

Bethany was teaching Princess Ballerina Camp at church and couldn't join us, so the little ones and I packed our bags and hit the road. It's always fun for everyone at Melissa and Mary Cat's. The girls get to do a lot of this...


And by the end of our stay, Towns was flipping off the diving board and swimming to the side without her floaties...major accomplishment!
We ate and ate some more. Shopped and shopped some more. Talked and talked a lot more.
Good times!


MC introduced us to Nancy's. It's the best place in the world for homemade Italian ice that's made fresh every day. And the mini pound cakes with icing are to die for! I think what I loved most about Nancy's was what she loved most...

Auburn AND owls!!
Every wall was covered with some sort of owl art...


Are those not precious?!
All the girlies after stuffing ourselves at Nancy's...

It was only fitting that the girls wear their owl shirts Mrs. April gave them (handiwork of Shea) to such an establishment!

The next morning we lounged around and contemplated what to do with ourselves that day...

The only practical solution? Shopping!

Towns wants those boots on her feet more than she's ever wanted anything in her life.
I'm not sure I can put into words how hard it was to pry her away from them...

If you feel inclined to spend $50 on them at the Gap, go right ahead. She would be much obliged!
It's hard for me to say no though.
Here's why...

Could you tell them no?!
Therein lies the problem. Ha!

We did all the damage we could do before making a beeline for my favorite spot circa my days at Auburn...

They have one in Montgomery which totally and completely made my day!
After lunch, Mary Cat's little sister Gracie came over to swim...

She's the sweetest little thing and my girls had a blast with her! They especially loved her for sharing her 5 trillion Silly Bandz with them.
Sweet Aunt Melissa made them a tent, popped popcorn, and let them watch Charlotte's Web while Mary Cat and I had some alone time.

We had dinner and shopped some more...perfection!

It was a relaxing few days complete with a fashion show of MC's Rush outfits for every day. I even gave her a run down of Chi O Rush which is probably against the rules. It felt good to sing "we are the Chi O girls be one of us, we like to laugh and sing this is our bus" again from Camp Chi O just to get her ready for some crazy fun! In my book, it doesn't get much better than that.
When we got home it was business as usual...

Ahhh, sisters...and sweet ones at that!
The girls were just as excited to see their Bebby as she was to see them. And I love the fact that she was standing outside on the sidewalk waiting for us to pull up. Love you, Peachy! :)

One more thing I must tell you before I sign off to enjoy our kid-free weekend:
Usually, I don't mix business with pleasure...
but just this one time won't hurt, right?
Go visit the coolest chicks I've met in a long time and enter to win a free Smitten & Co. tee!
If you're in the market for a fabulous party, they're your girls. We're already cooking up something fun for my little Buggy's 3rd birthday!

Click their logo to be directed to their website. You won't be disappointed!

Happy weekend, friends!

The Artist & The Gardener

Last week Towns went to camp...art camp, that is!
Our church's School of Fine Arts has an amazing summer schedule full of camps for children that we take part in gladly. We definitely don't have a problem keeping ourselves busy all summer long, but they learn so much and do so many neat things that it's hard to pass it up. Last summer she did the same art camp with the Art Around The World theme which took them to a different country each day to learn about that country's artists. This year's art camp was a Dr. Seuss theme which turned out to be lots of fun for little Blondie!

Friday morning families were invited to their art show...


She did a fabulous job on all of her projects and came home with a bag full of masterpieces.
I consider them priceless works of art!

And as usual, it's always more fun when art camp involves good friends!
Towns and Emma sitting with the group while they're getting their certificates...

Vivi and Towns...

Cate didn't want to be left out of the mix...

She claimed her spot by Abby!

The artist and her adoring sisters...

The campers enjoyed a snack (or five or six) before it was time to go...

These four are usually inseparable which didn't make parting ways very easy...

Towns with her art teacher, Mrs. Kelly...

She's incredible! She can get her students to do things that you wouldn't believe. Love her!
And I love this little lovey, too...


This afternoon I took Cate with me to the post office, and when we got home J and Towns were giving our new lab puppy a bath outside.
Buggy didn't waste a second before getting in on the action!
Do you see the excitement on this face?


She stood there for a sec contemplating the best way to get involved.
Clothes or no clothes?
That is the question.
And yes, she wore that to the post office!

Want to take a wild guess which one she chose?
You got it!

I gave her the job of watering the ferns, but she ended up watering herself more than the plants...

I let her try to figure this part out on her own...

Ahhh, now we're in business...

Obviously, there's something quite hysterical about drinking from the water hose...

I think she's pretty funny no matter what!
Once she knows that you're laughing at her, she really turns it on...




The mailman happened to pull up to the curb, and when I told her he was about to get an eyeful of her tiny hiney this was her reaction...

She's muddy from head to toe, but there's nothing better than playing in the hose on a late summer afternoon! And when it was all said and done there was water everywhere but in the ferns. I can live with that, though. It's all in the name of fun!

30

There are a lot of different ways you can look at turning 30.

The first few I thought of weren't very pretty.
But then I realized that I'm healthy, I'm happy, I'm so incredibly thankful for my life, and you really can't get much better than that!
And the fact that I got to spend the day with this bunch made it that much sweeter...









Looking forward to 30 more years of lots of fun and laughs.
And as usual, with our crew close by there will be no shortage of good times...


That afternoon someone got a piercing...
Rest easy, it wasn't the 30 year old having a mid-life crisis!
My baby got her ears pierced!!
She's begged and begged and begged and begged (I could go on) for months for us to let her do it.
And maybe it was me being in a ridiculously good mood that day or either Bebby doing the relentless begging on Towns' behalf - either way, I gave in!
When Towns heard the news she literally was so excited she had tears in her eyes. That made me know she was ready. It was me who hasn't been all this time. I just couldn't stand the thought of it. But they wore me down and I couldn't say no any longer!
Bethany, Towns and I hit Parkway Place in Huntsville while J stayed home to let Cate get her beauty rest. Of course I had to document the momentous occasion minute by minute...

Towns and her litigator on the way into the mall...

Riding the escalator up to Claire's...

Love this one, just wish it was in focus...

When she sticks her tongue out like that, you know she's excited about something...

Here she's closely watching every move the Claire's lady is making during preparation...

This is when B had to assume her position outside because she just couldn't watch...

All that big talking she did to get us there in the first place - and then she bails on us! Ha!
Here we go!


No turning back now - one ear down, one to go...

She didn't shed a tear - didn't even flinch - after they did her first ear (that's what I was worried about)!
All done and time to celebrate with Bebby...

The finished product...

Being a southern girl, I would have much preferred pearls but we chose the most classy option they had. Diamonds! Or CZ actually, but that's just a minor detail to a 5 year old! :)
She's had her earrings in for almost 2 weeks now and has yet to let that smile fade. Seeing her this happy makes it all worth it!

After all the excitement and Cate's nap, we ended the big day at the Japanese restaurant.
And Cate caught up with her friend Ella the whole way there...

Should I be worried that it's starting this early? My friend Lila called and said "can Cate PLEASE talk to Ella before she has a meltdown?" to which I replied "most certainly" and gave my 2 year old an iPhone so she could chat with her best friend without thinking twice about it. What's wrong with that picture?!