cupcakes at playdate

when lunchtime rolls around, there are usually a bunch of tired kiddos rolling around also (sometimes literally).  betsy was so sweet and made cupcakes for thing 2's birthday, but it was kinda hard to grab a good picture between containing the mess and the munchkins.  they have a tendency to play musical chairs around their little table.  :) 

the cupcakes were thoroughly enjoyed by all, as you can see!

then the birthday celebration with the families

travelling to illinois with only a slightly blocked rear view...

a quick ride with papaw, even before getting dressed!

at the birthday party:

a ride from cousin collin in the doll stroller

brunch is served!  yum-o!!

copying cousin lara, who was turning 5.  happy birthday to you too!!

wearing the cupcake craft on her shirt, holding a piece from the minnie mouse set she just opened, and using the new vacuum - all in the new dress-up shoes!

trying out one of the new books.  looks like a good one!

sooo pretty in my new birthday outfit.  at least mama thinks so.  :)

a whirlwind trip as usual, but we were so glad to see so much of our family.  now it's their turn to come visit us again.  (subtle hint...)

the real birthday day

an exciting day for all kinds of reasons!  daddy came home while the kiddos were sleeping last night, it's thing 2's 2nd birthday, and all kinds of company should be coming for lunch!!  but, first things first.  presents!!

yep, there's a girl in there somewhere!  this is where and how she wanted to open her presents, so let the wishes of the birthday princess be granted. 

it's a good thing she was still thrilled with the presents, even if they weren't a surprise... mama was feeling kinda bad at this point, because we'd gone shopping for them a couple days earlier... and, she remembered exactly what was in the cart.  shopping for birthday presents was one of the things on my list to do while daddy was home for a week in between 2 business trips, but those plans got changed.  boo. 

awwwwwwwwwwww!  love to see these 2 be so sweet to each other.  :)

she'd been asking for a backpack so she'd have one like brother.  it took some convincing for her to take it off to get dressed before company arrived...

cupcakes - purple frosting with pink sprinkles, of course.  sadly, i didn't get any pictures of her eating one or of any of our company.  we had planned to grill out and eat outside, but as people arrived so did a big storm cloud.  i guess the change of plans at the last minute successfully wiped all thoughts of pictures from my mind.

the evening entertainment, compliments of sugar (above) and spice (below).

happy birthday, sweet girl!

posting QUITE a few days late... love our 2 year old baby girl.  she's all full of sugar and spice!

the after party

this is the only "before" shot of our work, so this'll be mostly just an "after" party.  :) 

the landscaping beds were full of clover, so it was pretty exciting to have time to work outside.  glad gram was still here, too!  ;)  out with the weeds, and in with a few new plants!!

now, we just need to find time to get mulch on everything before those pesky weeds return!

the best clean-up crew there ever was!  they had their own little party picking up stuff and putting it in the wagon.

our last day in paris

we had seen a grassy park area near the eiffel tower, so we took the train closer to that area this time. 

part of the trip was on a double decker train, although you can't really tell that from the picture.  both kiddos were thrilled to ride on it, because we'd seen them at the stations but hadn't been on one yet.  of course, as soon as we left the subway and saw the light of day we immediately started thinking about food.  yep, that's what's important.

the kids had a yummy sandwich with fries (nope, not called french fries there.)

this was THE BEST caprese salad i have EVER tasted.  the herbs were fresh but not overpowering, the tomatoes were perfect, and the balsamic vinegar was just right.  if gram wouldn't have been with us, i might have ordered a second one.  *wink*

french onion soup, and it was delish too!

happy 31st birthday, daddy!

creme brulee took the place of cake this time, but it seemed to be an acceptable swap!

a little walking around in the sunshine under the eiffel tower...

a carousel ride at the base of the tower - someone didn't mind at all being spoiled by gram.  it's showing through the cheese below.

took a cruise on the seine river on this boat.  both chillins fell asleep, and we got to relax while listening to all sorts of history about the landmarks we passed.

the most interesting was the ile de la cite - the island where the first people settled in the area.  it is amazing to think about, because of how long ago that was.  american history doesn't go back nearly that far!

even though it was still chilly, the sun was shining!  our bus tickets were for 2 days, so we got back on and rode a bit more. 

the trip home went really well, and we (i) owe a huge thanks to gram (and papa!).  it was an interesting day, even with 2 adults, but we made it!  the transition back to our time zone was smooth, thanks to such a long travel day.  the tired munchkins slept when they got home to their beds!!!

thanks for reading!

double decker bus tour - with gram!

saturday morning, gram arrived in paris!  it was really nice of her to come join us - i knew i would really appreciate the help on the flight back home, and this way she could be there to see daddy on his birthday.

after a train ride to the notre dame area, and a crepe snack (of course!) - we were ready to see a few sights. 

the weather on the weekend wasn't as perfect as it had been all week, but we braved the chill on the double decker bus tour anyway.

AMAZING details!

spent quite a bit of time gawking at the "old lady," but had gotten cold enough by this point to head to the lower level of the bus.  couldn't see much from down there, so no more scenery pics today! 

we eventually headed back for supper at the creperie near the hotel. we certainly enjoyed it before, and hoped gram would too!

the "especial" - black currant sorbet, whipped cream, and black currant syrup

hard to pick out pictures from alllllll we took!  there'll be one more post, and then i'll find something else to blah-g on about.