We're Back!

Charlie has been staying with us for a few days while mom and dad are away at a wedding. We sure are having fun with him!

My dad came down for the afternoon last week. He and his friend Tom, went for a long 'joyride' because, as my dad put it, he wanted to "lay eyes on me." Here are three generations of boys in my family!

It's A Princess World

Mardi loves to play dress-up. There are the queen dresses and princess gowns; purses and shoes and tiaras and even a few superhero capes for Max! Dress up is what we spend most of playtime doing. I wanted to post some pictures of playdates from this past week with some very special friends.

What dress up session isn't complete without an episode of Bella Dancerella??!! Mardi & Max and their friends Anna & Jane enjoy the wonder that is.

Playtime was super-charged on Thursday with a surprise visit from our Beaufort friends Rosa and her mom Lara.

Tim & Sara's wedding

The handsome couple!

We had a great time at our friend Tim Miller's wedding in Richmond this weekend. His bride Sara was beautiful and Paul and I enjoyed getting to visit with their friends & family - some who we knew and others we met for the very first time. Their vows were especially touching:

There She Goes...

After painstakingly choosing the best outfit (and the right shoes) today, Mardi climbed into the bus ready to begin her Pre-K school year.

There had been a bit of waiting beforehand, though.
When was this bus going to arrive ??

Some other children from her class were waiting too. But Mardi was feeling the first-day-of-school jitters and was a little shy.

There was a little nervous fooling around with Max...

But when the time came to get on the bus Mardi was ready and willing!

On the way to the bus stop.

Trip to the National Aquarium

We woke up ready for an adventure, so we decided to head up to the city and check out the Aquarium. This relic of a place, in the basement of some government building, satisfied our need to see all things scaly, slimy and swimmy. Mardi clutched her Tinkerbell wand the entire time, changing frogs into princes and creating a magic carpet to fly us from the museum back to the parking garage.

Brushing His Teeth

Max loves to suck the toothpaste off the brush, no brushing necessary. Lately, he's been copying his big sister who's a big fan of the "spitting" part of the brushing routine. He's so aggressive in his paste-sucking, the bristles on his month old toothbrush are already worn to the handle.