Lunch Ladies

I got to have lunch in Batesville today with some ladies I haven't seen in years.  Ramona, Amy, Paige, and I all worked together about 14 years ago at a pediatric day clinic (Ramona and I went to high school together too) and Ramona had a whole box full of pictures from those days that were just too funny.  Amy was our boss and she really made work fun!!  

Me, Amy, Paige, Lila, and Ramona

Paige and I had most of our fun outside the clinic and Ramona and I were close friends in high school so we have lots of memories together, not just from our times at the clinic.

Seeing these three was long overdue. I'm amazed at how quickly time can pass before you even realize it. I don't think we'll wait so long to get together again.  

Hadley turned ONE and my day with Emilee

I went to Cave City a couple weeks ago for Hadley's FIRST birthday party!  Her party was the cutest animal parade theme.  Heather and her mom did such a great job planning the party.

Sweet birthday girl!

I just LOVE her hair!

Emilee pulled her in this wagon for the "parade".

She was so funny with her cake....I'm not sure she even ate any of it.  She would just stick her hands in it and then wipe it on her diaper!

Brad and I gave her an Anywhere Chair from Pottery Barn Kids.  She looked so cute sitting up there like a big girl!

I took Emilee home with me from the party for our annual birthday shopping celebration.  

We gave her a pair of Toms that she picked out for her birthday present.  

She's turned in to quite a bargain shopper!  I told her about a consignment store in NLR and she was excited about going.  She got a cute pair of Seven crops and a pair of denim shorts for a great price.  She was so happy!  She is definitely her mother's daughter.  No one loves a bargain more than Jenny!

She also wanted to go to a couple stores in the mall and while we were there we ran into my friend Kimmy, who works at Clinique and she offered to do a make over for Emilee.  Em loved that!

Emilee and Kimmy.

She looked a little too grown up but still cute!

After we went to dinner, we drove out to the Promenade but everything was closed.  That's what we get for planning our day on a Sunday.

So instead of shopping, we stopped at a car dealership to look at some of her favorite cars.

Then we went home and watched "We Bought a Zoo" which we all liked.

Jenny and Parker met us in Searcy on Monday to pick Emilee up.  While we were there, Lacy met us for lunch.  I wish Tara had been there!  

I'm already looking forward to my day with Emilee next year! I think I'm going to have to get a little more creative though.....there won't be much shopping in Mountain Home.  Although that girl loves TJ Maxx!

A 40th Birthday Celebration

Brad and Billy turned 40 (yes, FORTY!!) this month so Nikki and I planned a little party for them last Saturday since they have a lot of mutual friends.  

Nikki kept it a secret from Billy until the morning of the party but I'm not so great at secrets so Brad knew about it all along.

We did the same thing when they turned 30 but I kept it a secret that time.  

We had LOTS of food!  This wasn't even half of it.

The picture wall.  

It was fun look looking back at photos while I was trying to find some for this wall.  But it made me realize that I need more photos of Brad.  

This gang worked together for years at Lifecare and/or the Fire Department.  I was disappointed that Greg and Wendy had to leave before I took this photo.  

Can you tell that Nikki and I were worn completely out??  We had been in party preparation mode most of the day.  And I was not looking forward to the drive back to Little Rock at this point!  

Can't wait until the guys turn 50!  That seems like so far away but their 30th birthday party seems like yesterday so I know it will go by fast!

Jenny's Tree

Several months ago Jenny told me about a big, dead tree she wanted me to take a picture of for her.   It was up past Evening Shade and since I never go that way, she and I ran up there when I was home to do Christmas with her and Heather.  I like dead trees so I understood why she liked it, but I imagined it would be out in a field and a difficult shot.  Luckily, it wasn't.

Its sitting right next to the highway and the original shot had a sign in it but my friend Dawn edited it out for me.  

Jenny wants to get a large canvas of this and I think it will look fantastic!  I might even want to get a print of it for myself.

Hadley

I went to Cave City last week to do Christmas with Heather and Jenny and their kids.  I didn't get any photos of us opening presents, but I got some of Hadley.  And a couple with her and Emilee.

She's cute whether she smiles or not.  She had been at Heather's mother-in-law's house when I got there and had a single foam roller in her hair!  It looked so funny.  Her hair is short and pretty thick all over and then really long on top.  They had the roller in to curl to one side.  I wish I had gotten a picture of that.

Her bow may say "Daddy's Girl" but she is, without question, a momma's girl!

Those two bottom teeth are just too cute!

Two sweet girls!  Jenny and I ran an errand and when we came back Hadley was napping on Emilee.  And Em didn't seem to mind one bit.  I LOVE these two girls!

I enjoyed getting to see the girls but missed Parker.  He had a friend at his house and I didn't want to take him away from that.  

Kittens

Someone dropped two kittens off at my mom's house so I had to go see them.  They were so cute and playful!!

Sadly, this little girl has a broken front leg!  My mom told me that on the phone, but I didn't expect it to be so obvious.

Doesn't that just break your heart??  It was hard for me to even look at her.  She gets around just fine but I wonder if she will when she gets bigger. 

This little guy is going to be gorgeous!

I wish I could take them (my mom is allergic and can't keep them) but Brad said no and Spatz would freak out if we brought a new cat home because she might have to share a morsel of her food with them. 

Norfork and Dogtrots

We were driving through Norfork a couple weeks ago just before dark but stopped anyway so I could take a few photos.  I wish I hadn't been rushed... for such a small place, there are a lot of things I would like to get a shot of.  

I like how the fog is just starting to roll in in the background.

The Wolf House

If only these walls could talk....I would sit and listen for days!!

I've loved dogtrots since college when I did an entire semester of research on the Carpenter House, the dogtrot in Cave City (many people refer to it as the Pinkston House).

You can't really tell from this picture, but the stairs to the second floor are in the dogtrot. 

I wish someone would restore this house...it's basically in good condition, but things like the plastic sheets of fake rock around the bottom make me cringe and the mannequins (yes, mannequins!!) on the upstairs porch are just ridiculous!! I'm pretty sure I'll never move back to Cave City, but if I did I would love to have this house.  Brad, on the other hand, probably wouldn't even step foot inside it.  Function is much more important to him than charm!

Sweet Summer Goodness

We finally got a Cave City watermelon thanks to my mom and it did not disappoint!  It was so big I was afraid we would end up wasting half of it so we shared part of it with Dawn and Chris.

I saw a little stand somewhere in Little Rock the other day advertising Cave City watermelons but I didn't see the white, oval sticker on any of them, so I didn't stop.  Fraud! 

And anyway, Johnson Brothers are my favorite growers.  I think it's because one brother was my teacher in high school and the other brother's wife was Brad's teacher.  That probably doesn't mean they grow better melons, but I'm always happy, so why switch??

I know this is weird, but I love the light pink part of the meat that is right down by the rind!  Everyone thinks I'm crazy but I think I like the texture of it.  I guess instead of eating that part, I could try this recipe for Pickled Watermelon Rind.  Yeah, probably not.  It might be good, but I'm not that ambitious.

Sweet Baby!

I got to see sweet Hadley this weekend!  She's so pretty and thankfully hasn't lost a bit of that beautiful black hair!  

I LOVE her dark blue eyes!

She's a big girl....12 pounds and 24 inches long!  And she still looks just like her daddy but with her momma's nose.

Happy girl getting ready to go for her first dip in the pool!!  Her little bikini was so cute!

Then her momma had to go and ruin her good mood by putting this super cute hat on her head!  She looked absolutely adorable but she must be proud of her hair because she didn't want it covered up.  I think she's pretty either way! 

Baby Shower

This weekend we had a baby shower for Heather with some of the girls from our high school class.  We're pretty lucky to still be friends and the ones who live around home see each other quite often.  It is always good to see these girls (I should quit saying "girls".....we're probably considered "ladies" by now!!).  We all grew up together and I love thinking back to all the times we shared.   It's hard to believe that we will be having our 20th high school reunion in just a couple years! 

Back row: me, Keeli, Michelle, Christie, Carrie, Jenny; front row: Amy, Krista, Heather

Everyone brought a book for Hadley.  Heather is a librarian so there will be no shortage of books in her house, but we thought it would be neat to give her a jump start.  I chose A Sick Day For Amos McGee because it's the Caldecott Award winner this year.  I want to try to get her the Caldecott book each year while she's little and then maybe move to the Newberry books when she can actually read!  That's my plan, anyway.

Michelle brought her little girl, Avery.  Michelle and I were inseparable in high school and I love that her daughter is the spitting image of her!!!  But don't let that sweet face fool you..... she gives her mom a real run for her money!!  Cracks me up!!!  :-)

I spent the night at Jenny's and when we got home, we found Emilee asleep on the couch.  I think she was waiting up on us but couldn't make it.  I don't blame her..... it was WAY past my bedtime too!

It was so good to see everyone and maybe now that all the showers are over, Hadley can make her grand entrance into the world!  We're all ready so I don't know what she's waiting for!!  HA!  Actually, I don't mind if she stays put for a little while longer.  Heather's doctor wants her in Little Rock permanently a couple weeks prior to her due date so she will be staying with us and I'm really looking forward to that!!!  Shamelessly selfish, I know!!