Our Scout

She's 10 years old.

I still call her my puppy.

And I probably always will. 

Father's Day

After church, we headed over to a Greek Festival in our hometown. 

We sampled yummy Gyro Sandwiches.

We clapped along to this talented musician. He was great - reminded me of Dick Dale (Do you like the Pulp Fiction soundtrack?  Then you like Dick Dale . . . ).

Dessert was probably our favorite thing.  Not sure what this custardy-filo thing is, but it was amazing.

We finished out Father's day by playing in the yard with Dad (as it should be).

Don't worry, she wore pants when we were in public

Fun Times!  Maybe one day I'll get around to posting about Mother's day .  .  .  :)

Sneaky Sleeping

Checked on her before I went to bed last night. . .

Unbeknownst to me, she managed to climb out of her crib, slip on a shiny tutu, grab a tote bag that's bigger than her and fill it with all her babies and stuffed animals. 

I moved everything out of her crib, repositioned her so she could stretch out in her bed and then went to sleep.

When I went in to wake her up the following morning, she had everything back in the crib with her! 

Yep, she will be an interesting one when she's 16.  By then she'll be smart enough to take off her shiny skirt after sneaking back in before going back to bed.  I think I will install an alarm system on the windows when that day comes . . .

Bathing Beauties

I love that I can still get pics of them in the tub.  I know there will come a day when they won't like this, but until that day comes, I'll try to get as many pics of them playing together in the tub as I can.

My boy here commandeered the soap dish - didn't really take his hand off of it during the whole bath.

My girl . . . just as smiley as ever. 

Gosh, I love these monkeys and am so happy to know these two.

My Babes

I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing my babes in the setting sun.

You, on the other hand, probably can't say the same thing.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I Heart Faces: From A Distance Challenge

It's been a while since I've participated in an iheartfaces challenge. This week's challenge theme is "From A Distance," and I thought that this image I captured of my two guys on the beach last week would be a perfect fit.



To see some wonderful photos or to submit your own, head on over to iheartfaces. Be prepared to spend some time though . . . lots of lovely images over there.

Oh, and I have TONS more beach pictures to share once I get through them all . . . stay tuned! :)

My Favorite Flowers

I grew up in the South, and there are many, many things I miss about home that just doesn't fare well here in the Midwest.

Southern Magnolias, for one. I adore those big majestic trees. I love the lemony-scent of the large white flowers and the glossy large leaves that stay beautiful year round. There was a large magnolia at my great-grandmother's house, and I think of that tree often. I dream of having a large home with a wrap-around porch and a long driveway lined with these trees . . . *sigh*. There are a few of these trees around my town, but they are small, and scrawny, and nothing like they are at home. They just can't take the winters here.

My favorite flower is and has always been the daffodil. I love the heartiness of these flowers. Plant the bulb, and with little to no care, they would pop up each year. I can remember a field across from our home that was loaded with pecan trees (yet another thing I could go on and on about *bliss* - and that's pronounced "pah-con" rather than "pee-can" in my book). There were houses on the property many, many years ago - long since gone, however, every year the place would be littered with daffodils. What a welcoming sign for the coming Spring months - beautiful and fragrant and bright. There's no way you could see a vase full of daffodils and be sad . . . they're just too pretty, too perky, too lovely!

And then . . . I moved to the Midwest. And let me tell you . . . I discovered peonies - just as hearty as the daffodil and wonderfully fragrant as well. Peonies need those long cold winter months in order to flower, so safe-to-say, we didn't see these down South. I never even knew what these flowers were until I saw some in our neighbor's yard, but I've been a convert ever since. They are showy with their big, beautiful blossoms. They come back every year like clockwork (always around Mother's Day), and the scent fills our small home with the sweetest aroma every year. These babies look amazing in a vase - filling the inside and then spilling over the sides, and they make a beautiful bouquet.



Whereas the Daffodil is the super-chipper, happy-go-lucky little sister, the Peony is the more mature, robust, romantic and dramatic big sister. I love them both, and I think they unite my two sides as well . . . the Southern roots that I cling to and the Midwestern life that I've happily chosen.

So yes, there are many, many things that I miss about the South, but these little gems here are just one of the many reasons that I love the Midwest.

The Usual . . .

A typical Saturday spent . . .

Lounging some of the morning away in bed. . .



Visiting the zoo, and riding the carousel . . .



Playing on Momma and Daddy's bed after naps . . .



Playing outside before dinner.



Whew! What a day!

Happy weekend to all!

Three

Baby girl just had a birthday!



I guess one day I'll have to stop calling her baby girl.

But it won't be today.

Or tomorrow.

We celebrated with a pink flower birthday. We had pink strawberry cake, pink flower cookies, pink lemonade, and pink pizza (OK, the pizza really wasn't pink, but I'm trying to go with the theme here. . . ).



Happy Birthday little lady! I'm so thankful that three short years ago, you and your girliness entered our lives.



I love you to the moon and back!