In the Garden of Eden

I'm 99% sure that North Carolina is where the original Garden of Eden was.  I know this because I also know that every year the state takes the revenues made from people buying vanity plates for their cars, buys seeds with it, throws it out of the car window onto the side of the highway, and--voila!--the medians are covered with beautiful wildflowers through the spring and summertime.  (As someone who grew up in the desert, I can't imagine somewhere other than Eden where you would just drop seeds and have flowers a few months later.  No plowing?  No fertilizer?  No sprinklers?  Seriously?!)  

We visited Adam's family in Beaufort this past week and I was again struck by the beauty and lushness of North Carolina.  My mother-in-law's beautiful hydrangeas were especially breathtaking.  While I have a ton of pictures from our trip I plan to post soon, I couldn't wait to show these pictures off.  Nothing enhances two beautiful cherubs like a bush of brilliant flowers!

Boo for bluriness!  This little man would hardly hold still.

Again, Grey is a bit blurry, but I still love this one.

Cinnamon Rolls

Last week, Charlotte and I baked some cinnamon rolls to give as a thank you gift to her preschool teachers, Mrs. Ashcraft and Mrs. Obregon, for making this year so wonderful for our Cha-Cha.  (We also made cinnamon rolls because we love to eat cinnamon rolls.  So thanks again for giving us an excuse to do this, teachers.)

Cooking is already one of Charlotte's favorite things to do.  She insists on wearing her apron and likes to smell and taste each ingredient before it goes into the bowl.



She also just enjoys making a mess.

The finished product.  YUM!

Swim Season

It's May, which in Houston means swim season is upon us.  Every year, we start with a few weeks of swimming in the backyard in the little pool.  On special days, Mommy moves the pool over by the slide and then things get really crazy.





This is the first year that Grey has been old enough to enjoy this game, and he can't get enough!



The kids were having so much fun that a big turtle wandered into the yard the next day to check things out.

In May, our big community pool opens on the weekends.  We haven't missed a Saturday yet.



(More pics from this location to come soon, I'm sure!)

Birthday/Mother's Day

On May 2, I celebrated my 36th birthday.  It's hard to believe I'm 36 and I still look this good, no? Hah!

Here I am all dressed up for the fancy dinner Adam arranged for us at Mark's that night.  (Mark's is arguably the nicest restaurant in Houston, is always voted Most Romantic, and is one of our favorite places.  Nice choice, honey!)  It was probably one of the greatest dining experiences of my life.  Since our friend Sam Major is Executive Pastry Chef there, they really rolled out the red carpet for us that night.  (And the Nutella  bread pudding made out of chocolate cake donuts was mind-blowing.)

Adam sent me this beautiful flower "cake".  The kids were so confused by it.  "Why can't we have some cake?"

This gorgeous cabinet was my birthday/Mother's Day gift this year.  At last, I have somewhere to keep all of the china and crystal that has been wasting away in boxes since I married Adam seven years ago.

... And it makes a great backdrop for pictures of the kids.
 
The weekend after my birthday, we had a little family party with my sister Ashley and her husband Michael and our cousins the Burrs.
 
Adam got my favorite: a dozen cupcakes in different flavors from Crave.  We cut them into quarters and everyone got to sample several different kinds.


  




A couple of days later, I attended the Mother's Day Brunch at Charlotte's preschool.  The kids held up pictures of them with their mothers and sang "You Are My Sunshine" to us.  Good thing I already know how much I mean to my baby girl since Charlotte stared at the floor the whole time she sang.

Mother's Day Sunday: This is as good as the pics got after church.  Grey was grumpy, Charlotte was distracted, and my hair was doing funky things in the humidity.  Oh well!  Better luck next year.

The highlight of my day was the meal.  Dinner started with these Taco Cup appetizers.

After Adam slaved in the kitchen for around four hours, we had ribs, roasted vegetables, a beautiful salad with feta and pine nuts, and a peach berry cobbler for dessert.  It was delicious, even though the dishes were coming out the windows by the time he was done.

The tired cook with the fruits of his labor.

The kids, of course, were having nothing to do with all that good food.  Applesauce and macaroni and cheese were all they wanted!




 

April/May Randoms

Has it really been over a month since I lasted posted?  Yikes!  Later this week, we are taking a trip home to Beaufort to visit Adam's family.  Lest I get overwhelmed by all of the pictures I'm bound to take there, I am unloading all of the pictures off of my camera tonight.  Enjoy!

Lovely Cha-Cha!  The bows in Charlotte's hair are made from the ribbon that wrapped up the Tiffany necklace that Adam gave me for a graduation present two years ago.

Aunt Cara came to visit in April and gave all of us haircuts, but this was the cutest one.

Grey loves his Auntie Cara.  If she would come live in Houston, she could be in the running for favorite aunt.

Does it get any cuter than this?







Love those sweet cheeks!

Pajamas minus pants = a great way to watch TV.